


Snakes Among Friends

by TheObsoleteOne



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Protectiveness, Team Dynamics, Team Feels, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 14:04:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17747264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheObsoleteOne/pseuds/TheObsoleteOne
Summary: By now the Mighty Nein should be used to drawing negative attention, particularly Nott. What happens when they put their guard down after a long day? Will they deal with the consequences, or allow themselves to be overwhelmed?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I am not up to date with canon, so this can be considered divergence. I have had this in mind for a while now, but am unsure where it will go (aka if there will be relationships between party members). Feedback is definitely appreciated!

It was a common experience for the Mighty Nein. They had intended to simply stop in this small town in order to stock up on food and seek shelter from the weather, which had been worsening over the past 48 hours. Entering the town, they had been warned off by villagers who informed the group that vengeful spirits had been tormenting the town. There had been many deaths, and there was no guaranteeing their safety.

 

Caleb was ready to just turn and leave – the town gave him weird vibes anyway – but Jester, Nott and Clay were having none of it. Of course it took little for the three of them to convince the rest that it was their duty to help the town.

 

So followed around three hours of traipsing around in the rain, eventually locating the spirit around a nearby lake. The spirit was desperate when confronted and pleaded with them to allow it to finish off its “cleansing” of the town. The desperation turned to fury when the Mighty Nein refused, and a fierce battle ensued. They prevailed in the end, but not completely unscathed. Bloodied, exhausted and drenched to the bone the team walked back into town. Weary but proud in the face of another success.

 

Being a small town it took little time for word to spread, and soon they were being welcomed heartily by the tavern keeper.

“For what you have done, have a night on the house!” the man who introduced himself as Borgoth boomed merrily. “Food and drink too.”

“We don’t mean to take advantage Sir, and we are more than happy to contribute.” Fjord’s southern drawl spoke up as he reached into his coat to grab a coin purse.

“Don’t be silly boy! Because of you our business will be picking up in no time!” Borgoth’s grin did not fade, and Fjord relented.

 

Grateful, the team went to walk upstairs to the rooms.

“Wait. You stay outside.” Borgoth’s tone held none of the earlier cheerfulness and had become ice cold. Looking around, the team was confused until they noticed him pointing at Nott who had her hands in the air. She had forgotten to put her mask back on as they entered the town.

“Look, she iz not going to cause any trouble Ja?” Caleb tried to diffuse the situation but his words made no difference.

“No fucking goblin is staying in my premises. I don’t care what tricks it played on you to travel with you but I will not give her time to work that on me. It best get out of the town before I decide to take more action.”

 

“You are kicking us out?” Jester asked, her confusion and hurt obvious in her voice.

“Not you sweetheart. Whatever this thing did to you is not your fault. You are welcome to stay here for free and work off her influence.” Everyone began to protest and Caleb moved himself over to Nott and stood between her and the tavern keeper. He put one hand on Nott’s shoulder in comfort as he leveled Borgoth with the darkest glare he could.

“But she helped us save your town, she was with us fighting the spirit. Nott is the bravest of all of us, and if cannot stay then we will leave also.” Jester would not be dissuaded and continued to talk. Something in Borgoth’s face softened.

 

“Fine, I will not put you out. Please go to the rooms, I will have food brought up shortly.” Although he had agreed, his tone was still cold and no one wanted to argue further. Quietly they bundled up the stairs, making sure that Nott was between them all as they did so. Instead of dividing themselves between the rooms, they all wordlessly squeezed into once room and started a hushed conversation.

 

 

“Are we really going to stay here? That guy just threatened Nott.” Beau whispered angrily.

“I can always leave and stay in the woods for the night.” Nott suggested quietly, voice low with shame. “I am sorry for doing this to you all, if I leave he will be alright with you.”

“Nein. If you go I vill join.” Caleb interjected.

“We all will.” Jester offered, getting nods of agreement from the party.

“As much as I would like a warm bed in this weather, I think that we would be pushing it to stay overnight.” Fjord mused. “I say we eat the food with thanks and then politely make our exit.”

“Perhaps we should skip the meal altogether and just get out of town?” Clay’s soft voice spoke next, “This place is not so pleasant anymore.”

 

“I think a warm meal is needed before we do more travelling, we are all so tired.” Jester pointed out. Eventually the Might Nein agreed to stay for food and then leave posthaste. It was not long before people came upstairs with food, placing it down before quickly leaving.

“I will have to sit this meal out guys.” Nott stated skittishly while the others dug into the food. “I don’t like the odds that there is a special goblin poison in there.” The party looked at her, concerned, and looked down at the food that they were eating. Nott took her place next to Caleb, ducking under his arms and curling up as he ate. She really was exhausted.

“I do not think ve vill have anything to fear.” Caleb reassured, shooting sympathetic glance at Nott. “They think ve are heroes, ve vill not be poisoned.”

 

Quietly, he whispered, “I vill not let anyvone harm you Schatz.” Into Nott’s ear, causing the small goblin to look up in relief. Although she tried to project confidence, the night’s events had shaken her.

“It is me who needs to protect you. I am stronger!” She protested, but not as strongly as she wanted too.

“That you are.” Caleb smiled softly. He offered her a spoonful of food which she reluctantly took and soon they were alternating bites. She could not deny that she was hungry.

 

Comforted for the moment, Nott allowed herself to drift off in Caleb’s arms. Hearing the soft conversation of the team, she settled into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Nott awoke to a sensation of fuzzy numbness which she instantly knew was bad, her limbs were all heavy and it was as if her head had become an immovable boulder. She could tell that she was on a cart of some sort due to the vibrations underneath her, but her mind was too clouded and sluggish to think beyond that. Letting out a soft groan she fell back unconscious even though all of her instincts were screaming at her not to.

The next time she awoke, everything was just a bit sharper and clearer. Nott’s mind was running at a million miles an hour but she was still confused. The first thing registered this time was the rough chains and manacles that bound her arms and legs. Instinctively she tried to shift but whatever metal had been used was way too heavy to allow her to do so. Maybe they have been enchanted? She thought to herself before coming back to the situation at hand. Next, it became clear that she was fitted with a gag made of a coarse material. It had been wrapped around her face a few times in a way that reminded Nott of her own mask.   
It was thick material too; she could only assume that these people were afraid of her teeth.

She was lying on her side in grass with her arms restricted behind her back – she needed to find out where she was. Careful not to show that she was awake, Nott opened her eyes a little bit to look around. Clearly she was in a cage of some kind, nothing I am unused to she mused humourlessly.   
The cage was small, barely big enough to hold her. It must have been daytime, but the clouds were so heavy in the sky that it was impossible to distinguish the time. From this position in the cage, Nott could see a handful of men gathered around a fire that was merrily crackling.

The others! She finally thought, quickly scanning around for her companions but not finding them. It appeared that she had the dubious honour of inhabiting the only cage at this makeshift campsite. Not ready to draw attention, Nott closed her eyes and tried to lay as still as possible. Meanwhile, the goblin’s mind was whirring as she tried to think of a way out. If Caleb was here he could handle these manacles easily, so could Jester. Perhaps I can pick this myself. Trying to be as discrete as possible, Nott tried to move her hand just enough to reach one of the many tools she kept on her at all times.

Sadly the manacles were too heavy to allow that, and Nott tried fruitlessly for a moment before stopping. Ok that is out. Think Nott think! She was deep enough in thought that the sound of a boot hitting the bars shocked her and caused her to let out a noise. Sadly it was loud enough that they now knew she was awake.

“Oi come over here mates, our little pest has woken up!” The loud jeer of the human male echoed in Nott’s head painfully, causing an involuntary squint. The man in front of the cage was tall and heavyset, with dirty blonde hair. He just looked like an ordinary villager to her.  
“Ya know, I always thought Goblins were meant to be frightening creatures. Up close she is just small and freaky.” One of the other men came forward and peered down at her as though she were a caged specimen. Nott did her best glare but failed to look intimidating beneath all of the fabric on her face.  
“Aw do you think she’s mad.” The blonde one jeered.

Nott fought to stay calm and not react, instead looking at the four men who had surrounded the cage. The other three looked very similar to the blonde and Nott assumed they were all related. None of them appeared to be the adventuring or even raiding type so she assumed they must be from the village. That tavern keeper must have done something to knock them all out; he clearly had not wanted her around. At this realization, Nott felt a jolt of concern for the others. Hopefully they are safe and have been left alone. Nott was not one to need rescuing, but in this moment she desperately wished that Caleb was with her. Since travelling with him and then the Mighty Nein she had not been held captive alone like this, and it was not something that she particularly enjoyed.

 

Caleb groaned softly as he woke, lying on the hard wooden floor of the tavern room they had inhabited. Instinctively, he reached out to Nott but was shocked to alertness when he realised she was not against his chest or even at his feet like she often was. Sitting up, Caleb pushed past the fogginess in his brain and looked around the room. The team was slumped in the same positions they had been eating in the night before and Nott was nowhere to be seen amongst them.

Something is not right. The wizard thought as he stood up. As a group they were used to being alert and aware of their surroundings, and they had definitely decided not to stay overnight. Maybe there was magic at work? Caleb cast identify quickly, and his eyes widened when their food and drink glowed grey, a tell-tale sign of a potion of sleep.  
“Scheiße! Wake up every one!” Caleb yelled loud enough to cause the other members of the party to stir. Not wanting to waste any time, he rushed to Jester first and shook her roughly awake.  
“What’re you doing Caleb?” Jester whined.  
“Get up, get up! You need to restore everyone, ve have been dosed vith poison.” Caleb knew he was overdramatizing that part, but it was important that everyone was awake. At that, Jester snapped her eyes opened and looked around at the group struggling to get up.

Eyes wide and panicked, she cast restoration on everyone including her and Caleb, allowing the last of the drowsiness to wear off.  
“What the fuck happened?” Beau was the first to speak, looking around.  
“The food and drink vere laced vith a sleep potion. Scheiße I should have checked before we ate, or at least set up the alarm.” Caleb ran shaking hands through his hair in distress.  
“It’s ok Caleb, we didn’t check either. No harm done.” Jester perked up.  
“I am not sure about that.” Muttered Caduceus warily “Nott’s gone. It doesn’t take intelligence to know that was probably the plan all along.”

That was when Caleb truly started to panic “Scheiße, das ist alles meine Schuld. Ich habe ihr versprochen, dass es keine Gefahr gibt!”   
“Woah, whoa Caleb. Calm down there.” Fjord’s measured voice interrupted the panic. “We need to remain calm and think rationally here if we are to do anything. Are we sure that Nott has not just gone outside.” Caleb fixed the man with a scathing look.  
“She vould not leave this room alone. She vas scared and uncomfortable.”  
“Okay, I was just checkin’” Fjord raised his hands in surrender.  
“I think we have an appointment with a certain tavern keeper.” Beau’s voice was low, and she cracked her knuckles menacingly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware that the more mature themes start coming in to play in this chapter.

“I-I swear I have not done anything! Please, please do not hurt me.” The Mighty Nein were unmoved by Borgoth’s pleas, and Beau stepped forward.

“I hoped I wouldn’t have to do this, but if you aren’t going to be honest I don’t have a choice.” She spoke lowly as her fists became infused with energy. “Actually that is a lie, I hoped I could do this.” With a smirk she gave four swift punches to Borgoth’s face, each connecting with a sinister smack. The rest of the team looked on impassively as the tavern keeper cried out and groaned in pain.

 

Looking up with blood running down his nose and out of his mouth, he wheezed “Please stop this.”

“After you answer some questions for us.” Fjord replied evenly.

“Did you have anything to do with us being drugged with the sleeping potion?” Caduceus got straight to the point. Borgoth’s face belied an inner struggle as he stayed silent for a moment.

“I did it.” He finally answered all in one breath, panting afterwards as if the effort to speak was overwhelming.

“Why?” Beauregard demanded rather than asked.

“So we could get rid of that evil little creature.” The response was venomous and firm. “You didn’t know that she had tricked you, so we needed to do something to help.”

 

Caleb, who was stationed near the door to the supply room they had dragged Borgoth to, let out a stream of Zemnian at that. The wizard was hugging himself, and appeared to be trying to shrink in upon himself and disappear. Every so often he would bring a shaking hand up to run through his hair, a fire in his eyes. Up until this point Caleb had remained quiet and refused to look at the man they were interrogating, but now he turned his focus on him.

“And did you think to vonder vhy an ‘evil creature’ as you called her helped to save your pathetic little town?” he spat out.

“How do you know she helped?” was the defensive answer he received.

“BECAUSE VE FOUGHT ALONGSIDE HER!” Caleb all but roared, his hands instantly lighting with fire.

“Caleb you need to calm down, we cannot help if you burn this place down.” Jester stepped in to try and distract the angry wizard.

“Ja, you are correct.” He acquiesced, letting the fire simmer down but still looking at Borgoth in hatred.

 

“Where is our **friend**?” Jester asked coldly, keeping a comforting arm on Caleb as she did.

“They took it to the riverside.” The Mighty Nein supposed he was talking about the same riverside they had fought at the previous night.

“ **She** has a name. And who took her?” Caduceus continued the questioning.

“The Bentley brothers.” Borgoth winced, clearly not happy to be sharing this information. “You guys don’t seriously want to help the thing? The spell should have worn off by now.” The last part was muttered, accompanied by a confused frown.

“For fucks sake!” Beau groaned. “We are not charmed or spelled by Nott. She is our friend, and she also helped protect you by her own free will because she is a good **person**.”

“Look, obviously you know how charm person works.” Fjord tried to reason, getting a nod from Borgoth. “Then you also know that they last for an hour or so, but no more. We still care and we still want to find our friend. We aren’t charmed.” The half orc was the most persuasive out of them, and it made sense that he would be the one to finally get through to the ignorant man.

 

Borgoth began blinking rapidly. “But if she hasn’t charmed you, I have just sentenced an innocent to death?” the statement ended as a question, and the party was almost moved to pity the man. Almost.

“Vat do you mean by that?” There was still a hint of anger and deadliness to Caleb’s voice.

“Fuck. The Bentley brothers put themselves as the protectors of the town. We don’t like some… creatures.” Borgoth’s voice wobbled at that, “And they take care of the problems caused by such things. Like the last goblin that came here. He said he was a travelling merchant but the brothers knew better, took him away as well.”

“What did they do to him?” Fjord asked carefully, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

“Eventually they drowned him, but they mentioned that he was made to pay first.”

“You mean the spirit that was haunting the town – by the lake – was the goblin that they drowned?” Jester’s voice rose in incredulity.

 

Borgoth nodded awkwardly as the party reacted to the news. Fjord put his head in his hands and groaned, while the rest of the group muttered expletives. By now Extort Truth had worn off, but Caduceus knew that the man was being honest. “He is telling the truth still.” He said for the benefit of the others.

“Is there any other information that you can tell us about the Bentley brothers before we go and fucking kill them?” Beau asked viciously.

“T-they were very excited to take this one. Brian, the eldest, said that they had not had the opportunity to t-taste a girl goblin before.” There was a beat of absolute silence before Caleb erupted in fire.

 

The group yelled and stepped away from Borgoth hoping to avoid Caleb’s wrath, and worried he was about to burn the whole tavern down with them inside. They needn’t have worried though, as the flames stayed close to his body as he approached Borgoth slowly. The tavern keeper’s eyes were wide with fear as he saw the flames come closer.

“You vill die for this.” Caleb promised, bringing his burning hands down and grasping the other man’s face in a tight grip. The scream that Borgoth let loose was bone shaking, but none of the team so much as flinched as Caleb kept his grip on the man’s head. He tried to fight back, but only succeeded in burning his hands as he reached to try and pry them off. The screaming tapered off, but Caleb did not let go until the body fell to the floor with a dull thud. There was no head anymore, just oily smelly ash that floated softly to the ground from the wizard’s hands.

“Let’s go.” Caleb said in a hoarse voice as the flames died down and disappeared. The team nodded in agreement, and together they trudged out of the tavern.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEPICTION OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AHEAD AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE  
> Please skip this chapter if this upsets you - and I am sorry, writing this broke my heart.

Of course none of her captors shared their name with Nott, so in her head they were all just called “dickhead”.  _Suits them well._ There was some more jeering from them as they kicked at her cage mockingly but she stayed quiet and simply stared back at them. Perhaps they would grow tired of this foolishness – although in the back of her mind Nott knew it was a small chance that they would.

“Well who’s getting the first go?” the question caught the goblin’s attention and her ears pricked up, even as she fought to maintain a blank expression.

“I’m the oldest so I get first dibs.”

“Come on Brian, you always go first. She’s so small, what if you kill her before we get a go?” Dickhead #3 whined like a child who hadn’t gotten chocolate. He looked like the youngest of the group.

 

“Don’t worry Benjamin, I’ll make sure she stays alive long enough for us all to have plenty of goes. I’m expecting us to have a couple of hours of fun before we kill her.” The one who must have been called Brian leered. Nott tried to avoid thinking too much about their words and focused on other things.  _Brian and Benjamin, two stupid names for two stupid dickheads._ She imagined Caleb chuckling with her, he always laughed at her jokes even when they were not funny. A pang of loneliness hit Nott at the thought of her scraggly friend. Gods, she wished he was here.  _No you don’t stupid, because he would be in trouble too._ She reminded herself.

 

While she was thinking, clearly the brothers had finished their internal debate and one of the unnamed men opened the sliding door to her cage with a clang. Nott startled as the man reached in, grabbed her legs and pulled. She did not budge.

“Fuck Bruce, you forgot about the chains.” Benjamin groaned.

“Give me a break, how do I get these things to move?” Bruce asked. Inwardly Nott was rolling her eyes at the stupidity on display.

“I don’t know I forgot to ask Triton.” Brian grudgingly admitted. “Just undo them; I have a plan to make sure she doesn’t run. Just keep a tight grip on her when you do.”

Bruce nodded. “Oi Bob! Come hold her down while I do this.” The final man came up and pushed down on Nott harshly.  _What is with all of the B’s in this family?_ Nott barely wondered before she felt the click of the manacles coming off her hands, shortly followed by the ones around her ankles.

 

Instinctively she tried to squirm and get out of Bob’s grip but to no avail as Bruce was soon holding her as well, and together they pulled her out. One holding her arms, and the other her legs so that she was carried between them. Almost in mockery of parents carrying a stubborn child.

“She is small.” Brian whistled almost appreciatively. “Right, pull her tight but don’t yank her joints out of place.” The two holding Nott obeyed without a word. She had just a moment to be utterly confused before the eldest put one hand on each of her shins. His hands were big in comparison, and he could easily wrap them around. Then, he  ** _squeezed_**.

 

Nott tried to scream, the pain was so great, but the material over her face muffled most of the noise. The brothers had heard her though, and started laughing cruelly. The ones holding her up dropped her unceremoniously, and she screamed once more as she hit the ground and her shattered shins were jolted by the impact.

“Oh look it is already crying.” Benjamin mocked.

“You should save that for the main course cunt.” Beyond controlling her reactions now, Nott shuddered in disgust at the words thrown at her. She was in so much pain that she could not even imagine trying to run away. Thunder boomed in the distance, followed by heavy and cold rainfall.

 

“Let’s get started before she gets too frigid down there.” Of course it was Brian who said that. He reached toward her face, wiping her tears away with his thumb. “It’s a shame about those teeth of yours you filthy bitch, I would love to see you put that mouth to good use. I bet I could choke you with my cock.” Something in Nott snapped at that, and she swiped at his face. He cried out in surprise as her claws gouged deep into his cheek and ripped back out, bringing flesh with them. Blood was already pouring from the wound, but she only had a moment to feel satisfied.

 

“Hold her fucking arms down.” Brian growled, his orders followed instantly. Fear clenched her heart in a vice. “Did either of you bring pliers of something like that?” he harshly questioned.

“I have pincers in my rucksack.” Bob informed, getting up and leaving the other two to hold Nott down. Soon he came back with the items. And she knew what was going to come next.

 _Think about Caleb._ Nott closed her eyes, trying to take her mind away from the cold touch of metal to her hands.  _Don’t scream._ The first tug was excruciating, and she had to bite down on her tongue to avoid yelling out. The copper taste of her own blood filled her mouth, and she cursed her sharp teeth to hells and back.

 

 _Caleb. The team._ Nott focused on her friends and tried to escape what was happening. There was roaring in her ears and the pain was more than she thought she could bear, but she conjured images of her favourite wizard and stuck with it. Caleb’s face lighting up when she brought stolen books to him, the feeling of his hands touching her as he woke up in the morning. The little moments she caught him smiling before his self-hatred caught up to him and reminded him not to. Eventually Nott was brought back to the present, to the cold rain beating down on her and the searing, burning pain that she felt in the tips of all her fingers.

 

Once Brian was done, the others did not let her arms go, deciding not to risk it. “Alright you fucking bitch, how about we get to the fun part now.” He reached down and in one pull tore her loose top and cloak off her body. “Oh my, you were hiding something good under that.” Nott refused to look at the man’s face, stubbornly keeping her eyes closed. She winced as a large hand roughly pulled at her breast, sure to leave bruises.

“Oh hurry up Brian, let us have a go.” Benjamin complained.

“Not until I taste.” His words were followed by a sharp pain on her other breast, one that caused another yell from Nott. She could feel blood bubbling up from the area where he had bitten her deeply. It was too much and she felt herself gagging, swallowing some of her own blood.  _Can I drown like this?_ She thought desperately. Behind her closed eyelids she saw a flash of light.  _Lightning._ Nott deliriously thought, although lightning was not usually followed by yelling. Quite abruptly, the weights holding down her arms disappeared along with the feeling of Brian above her.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, Nott tried to stand before remembering her shins as they refused to carry her weight. Not knowing what else to do, she started dragging her body across the now muddy ground. She had to bite back her whimpers of pain as the stubs where her claws were smarted in protest. She just needed to get away – she needed –

“NOTT!”


	5. Chapter 5

The Mighty Nein remained silent in their approach. They did not know what exactly awaited them by the river, so chose caution over the more tempting option of running in screaming. The thunder and rain worked in their favour this way, providing sound cover for their footsteps. Reaching the familiar clearing from the night before they wordlessly slowed down. Fjord took the lead, moving ahead of the others and peering towards the still lite fire.

“There are only four of them, Caleb it may be best for you to stay back.” He murmured. Anyone else would think he was calm, but the team could easily tell that there was a tremor to his voice. The half-orc could tell that Caleb was not going to obey him. “Caleb, listen to me. You may not want to see this.”

“Fuck this. We are wasting time!” Beau groaned, walking forward. The others followed after so that they were all looking at the camp. Caleb included.

 

The figures gathered were all easy to make out thanks to the fire. Nott was on her back with her arms held down by two men, another one was on all fours on top of her whilst the final one was standing and watching the situation. It was not too hard to surmise what was happening in front of them.

“Keep them alive. I want them all alive” Confusingly, it was Caleb who said that. Without another word, he charged into the clearing, the rest of them following only a split second later.

 

Beau yelled in triumph as she tackled the spectator, easily knocking him out with a satisfying blow to the head once she had him pinned down. Jester and Fjord teamed up and subdued the two pinning Nott down as Caduceus easily pulled the eldest off their friend, carelessly tossing him away. It was all over in a matter of seconds. Caleb, who had previously stayed back in an effort to remain in control of his emotions, joined the group as they approached the small goblin on the ground.

 

Nott did not look like she was aware of their presence, her eyes were shut tight and she had rolled herself onto her stomach during the combat. Whimpering, she was trying to drag herself across the ground millimeters at a time. It was a heartbreaking sight.

“Nott, Nott!” Caleb tried getting her attention but there was no response or recognition. “NOTT!” At last, his voice seemed to get through to her and she stopped her slow drag across the wet ground. There was muffled sound coming from her, and once she turned on her back to look at them they could see why.

 

“Fuck, Caleb.” Jester’s shaky voice interrupted his studying of the makeshift face mask on Nott’s face, and he turned and looked at the Tiefling curiously.

“Vhat?” Without speaking, Jester gestured at Nott’s body. Caleb tore his eyes away from her face, looking far enough down to see her chest. Looking back at his friend’s face he saw puffiness that spoke of tears shed recently. He looked back down at her chest, eyes drawn to the horrific bite mark that was oozing blood. The rain was diluting the blood, causing it too stream down her body in rivulets.

 

No words were spoken; Caleb knew that there were none for him to say. Nothing to say in this moment that would be adequate. Even later, if he were to try and describe his emotions he could not come up with a fitting adjective despite all of the books he had read and memorized in his lifetime. Rage was too impotent a term, hatred too anemic. He glanced around the area, looking for a target to put this undefinable emotion into. He ignored the clear ringleader, he needed to pay. He walked over to the prone figure of the one who had been watching, the spectator.

 

No magic would be needed for this. Caleb raised his foot and brought it down on the man’s head, breaking his nose as he did. It was not enough. Again and again his foot connected with the head – he was not the strongest, but eventually he could feel the skull begin to cave in under his foot. Only then did he slow down, taking his now blood and matter splattered boot and rubbing it in the sodden grass.

“Caleb, come on. We need to get Nott out of here.” Caduceus wrapped his arm around his shoulders. The wizard simply stared blankly at the Firbolg who spoke once more, “Don’t you want her to be safe?”

“Ja.”

“Then let’s get you moving, get her moving and to a safe place.” It was hard to ignore the gentle but firm voice of the cleric. Caleb nodded shortly, and walked to where Jester kneeling beside Nott. He knelt down and picked her up, heart clenching at the gasp of pain from her now uncovered mouth.

“My legth.” She whispered with a lisp. Caleb looked down and swore.

“Scheiße. Jester vill heal you vhen ve are somevhere safe.” He promised.

“In the meantime, take this for the pain.” Jester gently tipped a bottle of potion into Nott’s mouth. “It will make you sleepy, so we can move you without disturbing you.”

“We will be gone when I wake up?” The goblin’s voice was hesitant and shaky.

“Ja. Ve vill be far away from this cursed town.” Caleb promised, gratified when Nott’s eyes started drifting shut. He let out a small sigh of relief, taking a moment to appreciate the weight of his closest friend in his arms once more.

 

He then realised that her chest was still bare and her small frame was shaking from the cold. “Ve should cover her up.” He said aloud to no one in particular. Jester was quick to bring out a rich silken scarf that mercifully dwarfed Nott and worked well to wrap around her chest and upper body.

“We need to leave this town.” Fjord huffed as he tied up the remaining men. “What should we do with these guys?”

“Bring them obviously.” Beau rolled her eyes. “I’ll take these two, you take the leader.” She gestured to Caduceus who nodded and slung the man over his shoulder.

“We should get to the cart then, bring ‘em along and then once we are far enough away we will camp.” The group nodded in agreement and swiftly made their way through the fields surrounding the town back to where they had parked the cart in front of the tavern.

 

Either the screams did not attract anyone, or the townsfolk had assumed it was something else as the area around the tavern was blessedly empty. Fuckers probably knew what was planned for Nott. Fjord thought bitterly. The three men were roughly thrown onto the cart with Caleb, Beau and Fjord following and sitting at the back whilst Jester and Caduceus sat up the front and steered. Beau retrieved some rough hempen fabric that was lying around and covered the brothers with it, not in the mood to look at them for the trip. We also can’t guarantee that Caleb will remain calm if he can see them.

 

“We should take a quick inventory to see what needs healing on her.” The monk spoke as calmly and evenly as she could. Seeing Caleb about to object, she quickly continued, “You can still hold her, Fjord and I will check on her while you do.” This got a nod from the wizard. Beau and Fjord shuffled closer and tried to examine the parts of Nott that they could.

“Her legs are in bad shape.” Fjord winced in sympathy. “They look… shattered.”

“Those fucks took her nails out.” It was Beau’s turn to comment, as she examined the hands with more care than her strength would indicate was possible.

 

Fjord reached for the scarf next, finally drawing out words from Caleb as he did so.

“Berühre es nicht!” the wizard snarled viciously. Fjord pulled back and raised his arms.

“I am sorry Caleb, but we all saw the bite. Mouths are dirty, we need to check it.” Concern for Nott overcame Caleb’s protective instinct and he gave a short sharp nod, moving his hands to her hair to stop himself reflexively batting the half-orc’s hands away. He focused on the soft hair, using it to calm himself when the scarf fell away revealing Nott’s chest.

 

Gods. How he had dreamed of seeing Nott bare like this, but never in this circumstance. As a group, they had often experienced each other naked but Caleb had steadfastly avoided looking at Nott where possible. He had been afraid that if he looked too long at her, his appreciation would be obvious and it would scare her away. All he felt was a well of guilt and pain for his friend looking upon her now though. One of her breasts was so darkly bruised it was engulfed by mottled black and dark blue marks, and the bite on the other one was swollen and looked angry and painful.

 

“Fuck it’s already started to get infected. Jester or Caduceus, we need one of you here now!” it was Caduceus who left the front, trading places with a shaking Beau. The Firbolg simply sighed deeply at the sight, reaching into a pouch on his person to pull out herbs of some kind.

“I need to touch her to do this Caleb.” The calm voice allowed no argument but was still sympathetic.

“Do it.”

Caduceus nodded and crushed the herbs between his hands, retrieving a flask of tea mixture and adding a few drops to the herbs to form a paste. Gently, he covered the entirety of the bite wound with the mixture before resting his hand on top as delicately as he could. Murmuring a few words to the Wildmother, the paste glowed brightly underneath. Seemingly satisfied, he then added the remaining paste to the flask of tea and shook it well before passing it on to Caleb.

 

“She should drink all of that; can you manage to give it to her?” He asked.

“Nein.” Caleb’s voice was heavy with shame as he held up a badly shaking hand. “I am not steady enough.”

“I can help with that.” Without any fanfare Caduceus cast calm emotions on the entire party. Although they were still upset and stressed about the situation, the spell had assisted in at least taking the edge off. It was enough for Caleb, who coaxed Nott’s mouth open and fed her the tea drop by drop. He would pour some out, then would massage her throat to coax her to swallow the liquid, then would repeat. This continued until they got well out of the town.

“We are clear, it’s probably best to camp now. We need to heal what we can.” Jester informed the group, getting agreement from the rest of them. Slowly she pulled off the main road and set the cart down a little way off.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback!

“Can you summon your hut again Caleb?” Jester asked hopefully once the cart had stopped.

“I might be able to do vone better.” He responded, “Someone needs to hold Nott – Caduceus?”

“Of course.” Caduceus held out his arms and carefully took hold of Nott, patiently allowing Caleb to arrange her in his arms to his satisfaction.

“I might need something more valuable than a bead.” The wizard admitted, looking around the space. Instantly Jester took off one of her gem encrusted rings and handed it to him.

“Will this do?”

“Ja, my thanks.” With a nod, Caleb pulled out his spell book and began muttering to himself. Sometimes he would look at a particular spot on the ground and frown at it before looking back to his book. Finally, after a few minutes had passed he closed the book with a snap and placed his hand out in front of himself. There was a surge of energy and a pale grey glowing portal appeared in front of him.

 

Without hesitation he walked through. “You can come in, it is fine!” He called out from inside. With a shrug, the rest followed him through. They found themselves in what appeared to be a large entry hall adorned with wood fittings and warm candlelight. The warmth of the room was an immediate reprieve from the cold of the rain and they sighed in relief.

“There is a room for each of us along vith a kitchen, dining room, herb room, parlour room and library. There are other rooms but I have yet to give them a designation.”

“This place must be huge.” Fjord marveled.

“Ja, I have been working on it for a while. It lasts however long I vant it to and is portable. No one can get in unless ve vant them to.” Caleb rubbed the back of his neck as he explained.

“It is very thoughtful. Do we have a room that we can heal Nott in, perhaps her own bedroom?”

“Nein, she can be put in mine for now." Caleb’s face was bright red. Nobody questioned his reasoning though, and allowed him to lead the way upstairs (there were stairs!) and through to the last room in a long hallway.

 

The team looked at each door they passed in curiosity; Caleb had put signs on each door denoting who they belonged to. It was all rather cute, they thought to themselves – although now was not the time to voice that. Caleb held the door open for Caduceus to enter first, followed closely by everyone else before he himself entered the room. It was a surprisingly lush and comfortable looking room, it had tall ceilings and the walls were covered in books. An odd white fire crackled merrily in one corner, with squishy looking couches and a soft rug covered in pillows around it – a large desk nearby covered in stationary.

 

Caleb led them to a large bed that sat in another corner of the room, with a rich green sheet covering it. Without prompting, Caduceus lay Nott down on the bed.

“Perhaps it is best if I treat her injuries alone.” Jester said gently. “Just to spare her any embarrassment she might feel.” She tried to preempt Caleb as he opened his mouth to argue, but clearly it was the wrong thing to say.

“Are you suggesting she should be ashamed of something?” he asked harshly.

“No I am not Caleb. But people who are the victims of r-rape or attempted rape can sometimes feel self-conscious about it. I want her to be as comfortable as possible, and a  _woman_ treating her right now might be the best option for that.” Jester’s voice was uncharacteristically sharp, but at seeing the stricken look on Caleb’s face her expression softened. “How about you arrange for some nice warm food for everyone, Fjord and Ducey can help.” The other two men nodded, taking a reluctant Caleb out of the room.

"There are spare clothes in the vardrobe - some ought to fit her." The wizard managed to get out before he left.

 

“Can I stay? I will watch the door and make sure no one comes in.” Beau asked, already leaning against a wall facing the door. They both knew that no one unwanted was getting into this mansion of theirs but it did make them feel better still.

“Of course. Could you please help me get off her outer clothing first? I need to see what I am working with.” Beau nodded and went over to Nott, carefully removing the scarf but pausing once she got to Nott’s legs. Wordlessly, Jester passed her a pair of scissors from her medicine kit which the monk used to cut the ratty pants away. Jester had to take a deep breath once she saw the magnitude of what had happened.

 

Their friend’s legs were blackened with bruises from the knees down and were clearly misshapen from the loose bones. “Oh Nott.” Jester sighed. There was blood around the goblin’s mouth, and upon closer inspection she could see that it was from biting her own tongue. She closed her eyes and made a prayer to the Traveler, channeling all of her energy into the strongest restoration spell she had. There was some crunching and cracking as Nott’s legs reformed themselves under her magic and after a long few minutes the noise stopped and Jester opened her eyes.

 

Nott’s legs had straightened back out and were not as mangled looking, her healing had also stopped the bleeding and mostly healed over the wounds. The bite mark on her breast was still clearly visible, but it looked more like a raised scar than a fresh wound.

“This is all I can do I am afraid.”

“You have done an amazing job, she looks much better.” Beau reassured Jester, coming and giving her a brief hug. The Tiefling girl did not even comment on the out of character action, it was appreciated. Nodding wearily, Jester went towards the wardrobe Caleb had pointed out and rummaged around until she found a small shirt that could act as a nightdress for the goblin. Beau helped her to get it on the unconscious girl, and then they took one of the heavy blankets available and covered Nott with it.  _She looks like a child._ Jester thought to herself bitterly.

 


	7. Chapter 7

_I am on my way; I should be there in two days._ The soft voice of Yasha filled Jester with relief, and she let out a deep breath. Alone in the room with Nott, the Tiefling allowed herself a moment to try and process the frenzied events of the past day. Looking over at her prone friend she was struck once more by how small she appeared. Walking to her side, she tucked the edges of the blanket around Nott more securely as her mother used to do for her as a child. Struck by inspiration, she began to softly sing a lullaby that she heard many times growing up. Her friend deserved as much comfort as she could get right now.

 

Meanwhile, Beau had walked downstairs. She assumed that the men had retired to one of the common rooms that they walked past on the way to the bedrooms. Eventually the monk found them in a large room off from the dining hall that held another white fireplace and large chairs scattered around the place. Fjord and Caleb were both standing tensely whilst Caduceus had settled into a meditative position on a floor cushion. All eyes moved to her when she entered the room, and the tension rocketed up a few notches.

 

“Jester has done all the healing that she can at this time, you can all come up to the room to see Nott if you want to.” Everyone made to walk out of the room at once, but Beau held up a hand to stop them. “Before you go, please just keep in mind that she still looks rough and needs plenty of rest right now. So no explosions.” The last part was directed at Caleb. Then she had another thought. “Where are the guys?”

“Well Caduceus and I fetched them from the cart and took them inside. Caleb helpfully included a dungeon of sorts in this place, so they are secured there for the time being.” Fjord supplied.

“Good. I think we will all want to speak with them later.” There were nods of agreement all around. “Alright, let’s head up.” Beau turned and led the way upstairs towards Caleb’s room once more.

 

It was an unusually quiet party that shuffled into the room for the second time that night, and Jester mustered a tired smile for them. “I have healed what I can. The damage to her legs was extensive, and there is only so much magic can do. The bones are still going to be tender and bruised for some time and only old fashioned rest will help. We can’t regrow her nails either, so while the wounds are no longer bleeding her fingers need to be completely bandaged and repeatedly cleaned to make sure infection does not set in, and to allow for the regrowth to take place naturally.” She took a deep breath at the end of the spiel.

 

“How long do we have in this… mansion?” The Tiefling asked curiously.

“As long as I stay within it and maintain the spell, we can theoretically be here for as long as ve vant. I have not had time to test this whilst creating it but –“

“You made this spell by yourself?” Beau asked incredulously.

“Ja. Vell I referenced other spells but I vanted something more secure and long lasting than vhat others have made in the past.”

“And you said that we all have rooms here?” Fjord got a nod in response. “What about food?”

“Never-ending, tell me what you want and I can make it appear. Again, I have not been able to test this so ve vill find out if there are restrictions.” All of the questioning was making Caleb blush and rub the back of his neck. “You can tell me if you want changes to your rooms or to the mansion, I can alter just about anything.”

 

“This is really good Caleb.” Caduceus said encouragingly. “We have a place to recuperate, a safe place for all of us.”

“Ja. That vas the idea.”

“Alright. I think it is time for a long needed rest.” Fjord spoke up. “Nott is safe now, so I say we all try to sleep and recuperate.” Seeing the hesitation on some, he continued. “Caleb will be staying with Nott, and it is important that she also sleeps and recovers.”

“I vill vake you all when she is avake if you vould like.”

Everyone nodded eagerly, relaxing just a little bit at the suggestion. They knew Caleb would not let Nott out of his sight, and that she would be safest with him at the moment. One by one they shuffled out until it was just Jester, Caleb and an unconscious Nott left in the room.

 

“She might be uncomfortable with touch at first Caleb, but that is normal so try not to take it to heart.” She laid a hand on his shoulder, surprised when he covered it with one of his own.

“I know. Thank you though, for everything. She means- she is important to me.”

“Of course. We all care about her Caleb.” With one last squeeze of his shoulder, Jester left the room and turned to walk towards where she remembered her signed door being. Pushing open the door she was shocked into silence.

 

The room was so similar to her one back home it was almost heartbreaking, but there were notable differences. There was a small shrine to the Traveler in one corner, and her own drawings of the team were decorating the walls. There was even a desk at one side that held paintbrushes and paints for her to use! However, none of this surprised her as much as the figure of Fjord who was standing in front of her bed.

“Fjord! Did you have trouble finding your room?”

“No, I found it alright. I… wanted to come to yours though. If that is not alright, I will leave.” His voice was sincere and almost nervous.

“Of course you can stay!” Jester moved closer and beamed at him. “You must be tired from today.”

“You could say that.” Jester was used to reading Fjord, and there was tension and stress heavy in the lines of his face.

“What’s wrong? Aside from… you know.” She waved a hand towards the door.

“This is the second time I failed you all. First with the slavers, and now Nott… I should be doing better.” Fjords voice was heavy with frustration and self-hatred.

“No, no Fjord. This is not your fault. Those stupid brothers hurt Nott, it was not you.”

“Thanks Jester.” Fjord did not sound like he really believed her. “How are you holding up, I know it took a lot of energy to heal her.”

Jester grew warm under his concerned gaze. “I am fine, I just wish I could do more to help. It all feels like too little, too late to me.” She cast her eyes down, but her chin was gently lifted by Fjord’s fingers. She was taken aback by how close he was to her.

“You have done everything that you can, you should be proud of yourself. You’re incredible Jester. I came here because I knew you would make me feel better, and you have already.”

 

Gosh this was too much, Jester’s cheeks glowed a bright blue as he talked. “You are here for all of us, all the time – but maybe one of us should be here for you.” A flippant denial was on the tip of her tongue, but it never made it out. Fjord followed his statement up with a kiss - shocking Jester enough that she completely lost whatever she was going to say. He did not pull away, showing patience and giving her time to respond if she chose to. Which she did once the shock wore off. With her heart beating in her chest, Jester returned his kiss and deepening it.

 

Fjord smiled into the kiss (secretly relieved) and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. When Jester gasped at the sensation he took the opportunity to move his tongue against hers. His large hands made their way down to her hips whilst she threw her own arms around his neck. Soon he was turning them around and gently pushing the blue Tiefling onto the bed before stepping back himself. The half-orc took the chance to look at the woman in front of him and count all of the blessings that led to this moment. Breathing heavily through already swollen lips, Jester was a sight to behold and he could not stop the tightening in his pants if he tried.

 

“Is this okay? I need to know.” Jester shivered at the roughness of his voice, feeling a burst of heat travel straight through her core at the sound.

“Y-yes. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to.” A thought came to her, “I can be your dirty secret if you would prefer.” She tried to say this with her usual joking voice, aiming for a casualness that she did not feel. She was hopelessly in love with Fjord already, it felt like everyone but the man himself was aware of that. If this was all she could get, then-.

 

“No. None of that. I am sorry for being so blind Jester, but I want you. Not just in a physical way, but in every way you will have me.” Fjord was worried he had ruined the mood.  _Gods why am I so bad at this?_ He briefly thought that it would all be easier if it was purely physical, but he could not deny his own emotions. “I love you.”

Jester blinked in confusion, completely unprepared for the admission. “Well I love you to. Unless of course you are talking in a friend way, and I do love you in that way as well but obviously in the other way- mph!” her train of thought was cut off by another kiss which she quickly melted into.

“I have not been clear or open, so I apologise for that. I love you as a friend and more. I do not want you to be my ‘secret’ because I respect you too much for that, and I would be honoured to be able to call you my lover.”

 

Jester’s brain was spinning and she briefly wondered if her exhaustion was causing hallucinations. Once she processed what was said she grinned widely. “Oh, lover is so old fashioned.” She teased, causing a blush on the half-orc’s cheeks. “But I like it” Jester added on softly. They held each other’s gaze for a moment, just appreciating the vocalising of their feelings finally. Still looking up at Fjord, Jester made a decision and began to unbutton her shirt slowly and teasingly.

 

“Jester” came a strangled groan, “are you trying to kill me?”

“What?” the innocent tone of voice did not fool Fjord, but it turned serious. “I really want this Fjord. Really really. In fact, if you don’t want this anymore it is fine but you will need to leave the room so I can take care of myself.” It was not a lie, the conversation and hearing Fjord  _wanting_ her as much as she wanted him was almost too much.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a choked off moan from Fjord, and Jester looked up just in time to see him strip completely naked. Before she could appreciate the view, he pounced on top of her and kissed her fiercely. She wasted no time before running her hands up and down his back, digging slightly into the strong muscles around his shoulders. The resulting groan went straight to her center and Jester needed more skin on skin contact now. The few experiences she had beforehand were nothing compared to what this was, and she was unable to control her reactions to him.

 

“Fjor-d!” her word cut off as he leant down and began marking the side of her neck with his teeth. Closing her eyes, she tried in vain to unbutton her shirt with shaky hands.

“Need some help there darlin’?”  _Gods his voice._ At her desperate nod, Fjord pulled back once more (getting a whine of protest in response) and tried to unbutton her shirt fully as well. He soon realised his hands were too shaky to do it as well, and with a growl of frustration he grabbed the edges of the shirt and pulled. The tops of her breasts were just visible now and he could not bring himself to stop there. A few moments (and torn clothes) later, he had her completely bare beneath him.

“Sorry – about the clothes.” He muttered.

“Don’t be. That was so hot.” Jester pulled him and he moved with back on top of her with a groan. Their hands were running all over each other as if they could not get enough. Fjord moved his kisses downward and finally latched onto one of her nipples with his mouth, using one of his hands to cup the other breast and roll it in his palm.

 

The gasp that his lover let loose at that was ecstatic and he wanted more. “Fjord, Fjord.” Her voice still held its musicality but had a desperate edge to it that he needed more of. The hands that were grasping his hair softly became insistent, pulling him away from her chest. Worried that she needed him to stop he went back up to look her in the eyes.  _Remember to keep control. She deserves that much._ He reminded himself, taking deep breaths.

“Please, I need you in me now. Right now.” Oh fuck, those words were too much.  _Control, control, control._ “I want this inside me.” Her whispered plea was accompanied by a hand grasping his hard cock firmly.

“Fuck. Fuck okay.” Before he lost his nerve, Fjord took hold of his own member and guided it into her. Once the head was in he continued in one smooth thrust until he was completely buried inside Jester.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck oh fuck._

“Are you okay Fjord?” hearing Jester’s strained voice made him realise that he had said that out loud.

“Fuck – yes I am fine.” He wheezed out, “You are just… so tight and  _hot._ ”  _Tiefling._ His mind supplied.

 

“Y-you feel very good as well.” It was gratifying to know that Jester was equally affected. He needed to make this good for her. “Please move.” The whispered command broke his self-control into a million pieces. Groaning, he withdrew and slid back inside her tight heat with a firm thrust. The choked off moan she let out tested his self-control.

“Y-yes Fjord, yes please keep going.” As if any encouragement was needed. Fjord began regular thrusts, maintaining a steady and smooth rhythm. He was already so close; he had to count backwards from 1000 to stop from ending all too soon.

 

The cries Jester let out indicated that she was enjoying this too. She moved her hands up and down his back to occasionally squeeze his arse. This made his thrusts speed up and she could not hold back the scream that was let out from her throat. “Fjord I’m going to cum. I am so close, please please.” Fjord bit his lip at the sight of the delirious Tiefling in his arms.  _I am making her feel good._

 

“Yes I want you to cum for me. What do you need? Tell me.” He grunted out, keeping pace.

“B-bite me, please!” there was no hesitation and with a growl Fjord bit into the junction where her neck met her shoulder. Jester let loose a  _wail_ and clenched tight around him which pushed him to his own orgasm. With a roar more animalistic than he cared to admit, Fjord thrust thrice more into her before slumping over and trembling slightly in the aftershocks.

 

They both lay panting for a few moments before he pulled out, causing simultaneous groans from them. Fjord was ready to collapse into a deep sleep when he noticed the blood running down his lover’s collarbone.

“God damnit I am sorry Jester, I - my tusks...” In the heat of the moment Fjord had forgotten that he no longer shaved down his tusks and they had broken through her skin.

“Hey. It is ok, I asked you too. I like your tusks.” With a grin, Jester traced where his tusks were just visible over his lips. “And I like being marked as yours.” The suggestive wink she gave him made his spent cock pulse valiantly in eagerness.

“Before you get all guilty, I do expect you to take me to the bath and pamper me. After that performance, I don’t think my legs will work quite right.”

“Fine. We are lucky that Caleb included an ensuite for all the rooms.” With little effort the half-orc lifted Jester in a bridal carry and walked her to the adjoining room which had a deep, perpetually warm bath in it.

“I love you Fjord.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So some Fjorester inspiration came to me while writing this chapter. In my mind the party relationships are fairly well developed. There is also SMUT AHEAD so be warned!


	8. Chapter 8

Caleb waited until everyone had left his room before stripping off his outer layers and making to join Nott in the bed. He froze before he did so, remembering Jester’s words and appreciating the wisdom behind them. He would feel better staying awake so that he can help Nott if she eneded anything through the night. Mind made up, the mage picked out a book at random to study whilst he waited. He had filled this room with books in the hope that there would be time to enjoy them amidst the chaos that the Mighty Nein frequently found themselves in. At least now they would be able to provide a distraction from the most recent events.

The book he had picked up was a boring volume on geneology and significant bloodlines within Nicodramas – well others may have found it boring. Caleb took to it like any other source of knowledge and greedily absorbed every word that he read. When making or studying new spells he liked to be able to draw on knowledge from many sources, not simply the arcane. In fact it was his study of architecture and design books that led to the making of the mansion they currently stayed in.

He knew the others were confused that he did not want them to go into Nott’s room, but in his mind everyone had their own room which was their safe and private space. If they want to invite others in, fine, but he would not let them see her room while she was unconscious. That seemed unfair. The room was based off things she had shared with him, and Caleb was not about to indirectly spill her secrets.

The guilt that was always present within him became even more present when he allowed himself a second to process what had happened. He told Nott she would be safe, he lied –  _no, this is not helpful. Nott wouldn’t want me to think like this._ Caleb reminded himself, turning his attention back onto the book in front of him. Time passed by almost as if in a vacuum – something he was well used to when he became ensconced in a book. As such he could not be sure how much longer it was that Nott stirred in the bed.

“Caleb?” The uncharacteristically weak whimper broke open further is heart. Trying not to move to quickly in an effort to not startle his friend, the mage moved closer.

“I’m here, mein liebling.” He spoke softly. Nott looked so unsure and hesitant and  _scared._ Fear was not an expression he particularly liked seeing on her face and he wanted to ensure that she had no reason to feel that way ever again.

“Is there any water?” Caleb started and quickly reached to the jug of water beside the bed, pouring it into an empty mug before trying to pass it onwards to the goblin. Sheepishly, she held up her hands, which were too heavily bandaged to enable her to hold onto anything. Nodding, he brought the mug to her lips and slowly tilted the cool refreshing liquid into her mouth. After some gulps the mug was empty and he put it back down on the table with a clunk.

“Where are we? Can we afford this place? Where are the otherth?”

“Von question at a time liebling.” Despite his worry Caleb mustered a gentle smile. “Ve are in a mansion that I spelled into existence. Like my hut but much bigger and… lavishly appointed.” He waved a dismissive hand around the room. “The others are in their own rooms. All of this is my design and no von can enter unless ve vant them to.”

Nott peered around with wide eyes that reflected the lighting beautifully.  _Stop thinking like that du Sau._ Caleb berated himself for the stray thought. Soon she turned back to look at him and it was impossible to avoid looking deeply into her eyes. “Thith ith amazing Caleb! I am so proud of you, you are tho thtrong!” Despite the situation she beamed up at him and he returned the smile albeit slightly diminished.

“Is your mouth ok?”

“Yeth. Thorry, I bit my tongue.” Nott looked down at her hands when she said that, looking very much like  _she_ was the guilty party in this situation.

“No apologies needed.” Caleb caught himself as he reached out to touch her hair, instead bringing his hand back to push his own out of his eyes.  _I need to be careful, I am used to casual touching with Nott but as Jester said she might not be comfortable with that._

“Is this your room?” his friend questioned while looking around, still with an awestruck look on her face.

“Ja. Ja.” He swallowed heavily – embarrassed with the scrutiny.

“Oh! I have taken your bed then?” Nott frowned and looked down, “You should come in and join be then!”

“NEIN!” The denial came out more forceful than intended, but Caleb did not wish for the goblin to feel like she needed to share the space with him. Like she owed him anything. He would hate himself if he became a source of fear for her also.

While all of this was running through his head, he missed Nott’s face crumpling. However he did pick up when she started crying.

“Vat is vrong, does something hurt?” he asked as he tried to stop from panicking.

“No nothing hurts, I am thorry for being thilly. I am just more emotional than I want to be.” It was out of character for Nott to openly show such emotions, and Caleb honestly had to think hard about whether he had ever seen her cry before. But that does not mean she has no emotions, and if anything could bring such feelings to the surface it would be the trauma she experienced.

“You have nothing to apologise for. Talk to me, why are you upset?” she was hesitant, “You can tell me anything and I vill not judge.”

Nott wiped away a few tears while she took a shuddering breath. “I know I must disgust you now. All of you. You th-thaw wha-t happened and n-now the whole team is going to think I am groth.”

“Vhat? Never!”

“Then why don’t you want to lie in the thame bed as me? We always share beds – and I know you don’t want to touch me! It- it is because I am so repulsive now. Even more so than I was before.” The tears had started a new much to Nott’s chagrine.  _I should not be this emotional!_

__

“I am sorry liebling. I truly did not mean to make you feel that vay. I simply thought that my touch would be unwelcome to you.”

Now Nott was confused. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I am a human male, and look vhat others of my kind have done to you.” That was more honest than Caleb had intended to be. In the back of his mind he knew that out of their part he was the one who bore a resemblance to the men that hurt their friend. Nott previously mentioned being unable to tell humans apart – what if that affected her?

“I would never be afraid of you Caleb.” Her voice held nothing but sincerity. “You make me feel thafe, and I truly want nothing more than to curl up with you and thleep. If you are okay with that.” She ducked her head, self conscious once more.

“Of course I am. I simply did not vish to impose any discomfoty on you.”

Nott smiled and pat the bed next to her hopefully, grinning wider when he crawled over and lay next to her with one arm pillowing his head. Gingerly, she moved herself onto her side and curled up against the wizard’s side. Without any hesitation he brought his other arm down and curled it around her thin frame.

“Scheibe you are freezing.” He hissed.

“Mmm, I will warm up thoon enough thanks to you.” She was so comfortable now that sleep was coming up on her quickly.

“Nott?”

“Myah?”

“You have always been pretty to me, you still are.” Nott was too tired to argue, which Caleb was thankful for. He meant every word, and was going to devote himself to getting her to believe it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all of the feedback on this story everyone! It is really nice to see that some people are enjoying it!

Jester woke slowly and comfortably surrounded by warmth. The tumultuous events of the previous day and night came back to her as she stretched luxuriously, the dull ache in her lower half a reminder of the activities she and Fjord took part in. Her movement must have woken the half-orc, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her close before pressing a soft kiss to her hair. Jester was pleasantly surprised with his actions. Despite the conversation last night a small part of her had been concerned that it was all said purely to appease her and get in her pants.  _Fjord is a gentleman though, he would not do that._ The cleric reminded herself.

“You’re thinking too much.” Fjord drawled out through a yawn.

“That is a bit much coming from you.” He ignored the gentle teasing and opened his eyes. Gods above, but she looked beautiful like this. The Tieflieng’s eyes were heavy with sleep and her hair was mussed up. He could not hold back from kissing her once more and once she reciprocated he allowed his instincts to take over. Moving his mouth down to her neck he inhaled deeply, taking in the unmistakable sweet scent of Jester. Fjord found himself pulled back to reality when his lips reached the scab that still remained at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

“I did not have enough power left in me to heal it last night.” Jester answered his question before he began to voice it. “Plus I like it.”

“But the others –“

“Will see that I am yours. Unless you don’t want that.” She trailed off at the end with a subtle question.

“It scares me how much I do want that.” Fjord admitted, placing a gentle kiss on the raised area. Inspired, he moved downwards and gently nipped above Jester’s nipple. Taking her pretty gasp as a good sign he worked on making another mark there. She gripped his short hair in her hands and threw her head back enjoying the sensation immensely. Once he had marked her to his satisfaction Fjord pulled back and admired the dark bruise that had already begun showing. The surge of possessiveness that he felt was new and a little intimidating. Jester did not appear to mind, and that was enough for him at this stage.

The warlock felt himself begin to harden again and met Jester in a passionate kiss, swallowing her moan as both of them tried to get impossibly closer to the other.

“CALEB, STOP!” Nott’s shrill scream cut through them like a sword. Immediately they jumped to attention, getting their clothes on with a haste born from their time on the road. Fjord led the way out of the room and towards Caleb’s where the scream had come from. The door to the room was already ajar and they burst through.

Their focus was drawn to Caleb who was standing still in the center of the room with fire in his hands. His gaze was locked on Beauregard, who stood next to the door with her arms up and a bewildered expression on her face. Jester located Nott who was still on the bed but attempting unsuccessfully to move off it. Worried about her wounded friend the cleric rushed to her side and reached out to assist.

“Do not touch her.” Caleb’s voice had never sounded so scary to her. “I vill not let any of you touch her again.” The flames in his hands grew hotter with each word.

“He is dreaming, I can’t wake him.” Nott said desperately.

“Caleb, can you hear me?” Fjord asked. There was no response from the wizard. Nott continued her struggle to get off the bed, but her legs were too sore and weak to put any weight on them. Nevertheless the small goblin persisted.

“Stop, you’ll hurt yourself!” Jester called out desperately but her words were unheeded.

“He’s going to hurt himself if he doesn’t wake up.” She replied and changed tactics, pushing herself so that she was able to roll off the edge of the bed. Of course her legs still could not hold her and she crumpled to the ground with a pained yelp. Jester was about to go to her in spite of the danger but the noise appeared to jolt Caleb to his senses. In a heartbeat he extinguished the flames surrounding his hands and went to pick up his friend. With all of the care in the world he put Nott back on the bed.

 

“I am very sorry Schatz.”

“Nothing to apologise for, I was just worried about you.” Caleb then turned to the rest of them who were gathered around.

“I am sorry.” The wizard looked deeply ashamed.

“No harm done dude.” Beau responded first, finally lowering her hands and rolling her shoulders to release the tension in them “I should have known not to come in unannounced, but I wanted to check on Nott.” She shrugged sheepishly.

“We just came here when we heard Nott.” Fjord offered, “What happened?”

“I am not sure. I thought there vas an intruder here to take Nott… Again.” Caleb winced.

 

“Hey I am still here, no one can come in here without you allowing them right?”

“Ja.” He nodded in agreement.

“And the dungeon you made is secure? They aren’t getting out are they?” Beau clarified.

“They?” Nott squeaked. They all looked at each other, unsure how best to break the news.

“Are you guys talking about the men who we put in the dungeon?” How long Caduceus had been standing in the doorway was uncertain, but he drew their attention now. He started speaking directly to Nott. “It’s the men who attacked you, we wanted to bring them here for punishment.”

 

The goblin wrapped her arms around one of Caleb’s and started to shake, “Is it secure? What if they get out?”

“I promise, I designed the prison. They vill not get out.” He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her close.

“Why bring them here though?” Nott almost sounded hurt.

“We wanted to fuck em up good and make them pay.” Beau simply said to a round of approving nods from the gathered party. It might not have been good that Nott felt comforted by that, but she had been through a lot. Some sadistic pleasure was understandable surely.

 

“Enough of that talk – how are you feeling this morning Nott?” Jester questioned.

“Better. My tongue has healed enough that I don’t lisp anymore thankfully, but my legs are fucked.”

“They might be that way for another 6 weeks. I thought that Caduceus could look you over if you were comfortable as he might be able to help where I cannot.” The Tiefling cleric explained.

“I am fine with that, but can we do it privately.” Nott glanced around the group, “Not that I have a problem with all of you, I just –“

“We understand Nott; we can make some food and meet you downstairs when you are done.” Beau reassured. Then did something unexpected, she walked forward and hugged the small goblin gently. “We were so worried about you, I am glad you are okay.” The monk gave a half smile and backed away to exit the room.

 

“See ya downstairs. Come on Jester.” Fjord took the Tieflieng’s arm and left.

“Send for me if you need!” the blue girl called out over her shoulder. Caleb made to follow them, but was stopped by Nott.

“Please stay.” If the wizard was surprised he hid it well.

“Of course schatz.”

“I apologise but I will need to see you without clothing. You can stay under sheets for now and I will expose parts of your body individually. Do not worry, I will tell you well in advance before I expose anything.” Nott’s eyes were wide and fearful as she nodded shortly. “Now would you rather I take off your clothes or Caleb?”

“Caleb please. If that’s ok with him.” She breathed out. He nodded in agreement. Caduceus stepped away.

“I will wait outside the door. Take as much time as you need and Caleb can come and get me when you are ready.” He smiled, “and I mean as much time as you need. I am a patient creature, if it took days for you to be comfortable I would not mind one bit.” With that, he moved out of the room as his long sleeves swished behind him.

 

“He is a good person Ducey.” Nott said nervously.

“That he is.”

“Would you be able to take my clothes off without looking?” She asked, still curled up beside the wizard.

“Ja, I think ve can vork out how to do that. How about you lay back on the blanket first.” Caleb helped move Nott back up so her head was propped on a pillow and she was lying on top of the heavy blanket. Stepping back he rummaged in a nearby wardrobe and pulled out a smooth thin black sheet. He shook it out and draped it over Nott.

“I feel like a child.” She grumbled.

“You are not a child, you are simply vounded. Now, I can remove the shirt you are veering vhilst you stay under the covers. You only need to lift your arms vhen I get to them. Is that okay?” the wizard wanted to make sure that she would be comfortable, or as comfortable as she could be in this situation.

“Yes, I trust you.”  _Maybe you shouldn’t._ Caleb thought to himself bitterly but smiled in response to Nott.  _You deserve better people in your life than me._

 

He took painstaking care to slowly lift the shirt up and over Nott’s head without exposing anything and eventually it was done – the sheet was secured over top of her and he folded the shirt and placed it on the table beside the bed.

“You can get Ducey in.” Nott said softly. Wordlessly Caleb went back to the door, opening it to find Caduceus standing opposite patiently.

“She is ready now.” It was almost as if Caleb was welcoming a guest into the room, not a close friend who was there to treat someone.

“Alright Nott. We will take this slow; I know someone examining you while you are awake is different to being unconscious. You need to know that I will be looking at the bite mark – would you like me to do that first or last?”

“Just get it over with.”

 

 _He is almost too good at this._ Caleb thought as the Firbolg pulled down the sheet to expose Nott’s breasts. Blushing, the wizard looked away before he saw anything, unsure if it was right to look at his friend that way while he held feelings for her.

“This is all healing alright; I think I can mix up an ointment to help remove the scarring over time.” Caduceus said encouragingly, and Caleb heard the soft rustle of the sheets being pulled over Nott’s chest. Only then did he allow himself to look, and he moved closer to rest a hand on the goblin’s head in support as Caduceus went through the rest of the examination.

 

All things considered it went well, and Caduceus said that while he could not speed up the healing process for her legs and claws he would certainly be able to help with scar damage once he was able to mix up the required ointments. He left to go downstairs, and Caleb helped Nott into the shirt once more.

“Shall we join the others for food?” he asked.

“Yes please, I am starving.” Nott already sounded tired and it had only been a few hours. Lifting her out of the bed, Caleb only just noticed that it was one of his shirts that she was wearing.  _Of course it is you idiot, this is your room and your wardrobe._ Still, the image of the shirt falling just below Nott’s knees was difficult to ignore, and the wizard had to turn his mind to other matters. Maybe it was time to start planning exactly how to punish the men who were now in the dungeon.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is aftermath of sexual assault mentioned in this chapter.

Jester took charge in the kitchen, enlisting the assistance of Fjord and Beau when it came time to carry the mountains of food out onto the table.

“Don’t you think this is a bit much? Beau asked looking down at the assortment of eggs, bacon, sausages and bread that covered the table.

“Nope!” Jester was characteristically cheery in her response “When have we had a chance to really cook like this? Plus I think Nott deserves a good breakfast for once!”

“Well I think it looks amazing Jester.” Fjord drawled as he placed heavy jugs of juice and coffee onto the table.

“Thanks!” Her beam was blinding.

“Do you guys think she will be ok? That was a lot for her to go through.” The monk asked with uncertainty.

“I think it will take time for her to fully recover, but we will help her.” Fjord tried to be reassuring.

“Well this all looks wonderful.” The deep voice of Caduceus rang through the room. “Caleb and Nott will be down shortly. She is doing fine but still won’t be able to put weight on her legs just yet.” He answered the unanswered question.

Sure enough it was not long before footsteps could be heard approaching the dining room and Caleb appeared holding Nott on his hip. Beau was about to make a joke about the juvenile position but she was sobered up at the sight of Nott’s swollen legs and numerous bandages. Fresh anger swept through the monk, and she found herself clenching her jaw at the thought of what the bastards had done.

“Sorry, it is too difficult to cover myself fully right now.” Nott misinterpreted the anger for disgust at the sight of her bare legs and arms, which she had always been too shy to really showcase for the party.

“Do not apologise, you are pretty.” Caleb murmured and shot a glare Beau’s way.

“I have seen uglier.”  _Fuck why do I have to be so bad with words?_ Beau cursed herself when she heard how bad her words sounded. Nott’s cheeks coloured a brighter green as she ducked her head down in shame. Caleb’s glare intensified and the monk wished desperately that she could dig a hole and hide away.

“Beau did not mean that how it sounded.” Caduceus soothed.

“Yeah, I am sorry I did not mean it like that. There is nothing wrong with how you look, I was mad at the people who hurt you.” All of the emotions were giving her a headache, and Beau sat down heavily.

Nott still looked doubtful, but accepted the apology gracefully and was soon seated in Caleb’s lap. It was the best position for her to be in if she could not be lying down, as it gave her back support so that there was less weight on her hands or legs. Looking at the food in front of her, she found her mouthwatering.

“This looks so yummy! Did you make this Caleb?”

“Nein.”

“Actually it was Jester.” Fjord offered with a nod towards the Tiefling.

“I wanted to do something nice for everyone.” An uncharacteristic blush crossed jester’s cheeks.

Nott looked greedily at all the food laid out in front of her, but realised the difficulties her bandaged hands would pose when it came to actually indulging. Caleb as always appeared to read her mind, as he wordlessly took sausages and bacon on a plate and fed them to her piece by piece. If she were honest it all felt so natural and domestic – and Nott loved it.

Everyone else at the table was digging into the food merrily as well. As she swallowed her latest bite of bacon Nott spoke “so who has my flask? I don’t feel like going through breakfast without it.”

“I am afraid you are on a strict alcohol ban until you have recovered.” Caduceus replied. Caleb felt Nott go tense in his lap, and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort the goblin.

“Surely just one little sip?” She knew that she had already lost this battle but it did not stop her from trying. That got a resounding no from the entire table and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Nott was distracted out of her predicament by something that concerned her. “Jester, did you get hurt in the fight?”

“Nope!” The blue girl responded cheerfully.

“Then what happened?” Nott gestured to her neck, and with a shock Jester and Fjord both realised that the unhealed bite mark was plainly visible.

**_ This is up to you Fjord, should we tell them? _ ** __ Jester sent to Fjord.

**_ Yeah, might as well. _ ** __ The message she received back was good natured and she let out an internal sigh of relief.

“I’ll tell you, but only in  _secret_ ” Jester giggled.

“Yes, yes, yes. Take me to another room already!” Nott eagerly held up her hands and was scooped up into Jester’s arms. The two disappeared off into a separate room giggling conspiratorially to each other as they went.

“Sit down Caleb, this is good for Nott.” Caduceus said, noticing the wizard already rising from his chair to follow.

“Yeah, good distraction and all.” Beau dismissed and then turned to Fjord. “What the fuck are you doing? You know she has a crush on you and you fuck around with her?”

“You are fucking with her? Zat seems unwise.” Caleb frowned, turning from the door the girls had left through.

“I am not fucking with her – we are… God damnit we are dating!” Fjord let out in a rush, his face burning. He hated talking about his private relationships but he forced himself to remember that this was Jester and she deserved more than to be a secret. “I have no intention of playing games.”

Beau looked a little mollified. “If you do fuck with her…”

“The threat is unnecessary but I understand the sentiment.”

“Well that just leaves you Caleb.” Caduceus smiled benignly.

“Vhat do you mean by zat?” The wizard asked, bewildered. Beau and Fjord could see where this conversation was going and looked at each other nervously.

“Well now that Fjord and Jester have finally gotten their shit together, perhaps you and Nott will follow their lead?” The Firbolg talked casually, unimpeded by the rising tension.

“I am unsure of vhat you mean.” Gods this conversation was getting awkward.

“CAYLEB!” Jester’s distinct voice put an end to their conversation.

“Fjord made the first move?” Nott was incredulous.

“He did, he did!” Jester clapped her hands together.

“Well, how was it?”

“Amazing, Nott! And get this; he wants us to be… Lovers!” The two giggled like a pair of schoolgirls. Jester felt they could be forgiven for doing so seeing as they had precious little reason to act as such recently. Nott was sitting in front of Jester on the floor while the Tiefling kneeled to be closer in height. After a few minutes of back and forth conversation and gentle teasing from Nott, the goblin sobered up.

“So you… enjoyed it?”

“Of course I did silly! Sex is meant to be enjoyed!” Jester said as if it were obvious.

“Oh… I suppose I simply did it wrong.” Nott reached for her flask and cursed when she could not feel it. Jester tilted her head and asked what she meant. “Well, I did not enjoy it at all. Especially the  _biting”_ It was with dread that Jester realised what Nott was referring to.

“Do you mean… the humans?” She asked carefully, getting a nod in response. “Nott. That is not sex, it is violence.”

“The mechanics seem to be the same.” Nott clenched her hands, ignoring the pain in her fingers.

“It’s not the same.” Came the firm reply. “An important element of sex is consent. Everybody involved wanting it.”

“Oh. I didn’t want it though. Why would they do it then?” Nott’s eyes were filling with tears unbidden. She looked so young in that moment and Jester was at a loss.

Nott’s breath started to speed up and her body shook as her vision clouded. She could not breathe.

Jester’s alarm grew as her friend started panting and she looked on in horror as blood started to run down her hands where they were clenched tightly shut. Reaching out in comfort, her heart broke when the goblin responded with a whimper and shied away. Nott cried out in pain as she tried to use her legs to move. Her eyes were open but she did not appear to be seeing anything and her breathing got more labored and shuddering. Jester could only think of one thing, so she called for Caleb.

The wizard burst through the door moments later, his eyes immediately seeking out Nott’s form where she was crouched on the floor.

“Nott, Nott! It is me, you are safe.” He whispered urgently gently taking his friend by the shoulders and ignoring her attempts to get further away. Moving would only hurt her. “Please, mein liebling. Calm down for me. Please.” He stressed the last word, and breathed out when it finally seemed to get through to her. Nott slowly blinked, coming back to herself as her breathing slowed down and evened out.

“Caleb?”

“I am always here.” With that he pulled the goblin into a hug and carried her upstairs without another word to the team.

“And he acts like I am crazy – those two kids better get together soon or I will go mad.” Caduceus muttered, making his way back to the food and sitting to eat it.


	11. Chapter 11

“I am so sorry Caleb.” Nott said for perhaps the millionth time as the wizard quietly wrapped fresh bandages around her hands.

“No more apologies Süsse. As I have said before, zere is nothing to apologise for.” Deftly, the human finished up with the bandages and then held her hands gently between his own. They had both refused to let anyone else come into the room, Nott was simply too overwhelmed at the moment to be around anyone but her most trusted. Somehow they hand ended up with Nott on the bed and Caleb on his knees on the floor, a position which put them at equal height. Mindlessly, Caleb ran a finger over her hands gently and bent to kiss them. There was a short gasp and Nott tensed at the action so he whipped his head up quickly.

“Sorry Maus. I did not mean to hurt you.” He locked eyes with her widened ones and held the gaze. Strangely enough, so did Nott.

“You didn’t hurt me. I am just not used to being touched like that.” At the last moment she broke eye contact and looked away as she blushed.

“As in ze kiss?” The goblin nodded in assent. “You hav not had your hands kissed before? It iz fairly common as an affection display.” Nott’s cheeks blushed a brilliant jade.

“I have not been kissed at  _all.”_

“Vhat?” Caleb could not hold back his bewilderment “Even I have been kissed before.”

Oh. That was the wrong thing to say – just as Caleb realised his mistake Nott spoke. “I know I am so hideous no one has wanted to.” There was no anger in her voice, only defeat and sadness. “I mean, I can’t blame them.” She smiled grimly and motioned to her face.

“Nein, I did not mean zat Mein Liebling.” He said desperately.

“Don’t feel bad, I have heard it all before.” She continued speaking over him. “I probably could get a goblin to, but they don’t really want to kiss most of the time.”

“Shh, nein nein nein. I’m sorry Maus it was a poor choice of phrasing.” Caleb implored her to believe him. “If anything, I was more surprised because you are so pretty.”

“Do not mock me Caleb, this is not funny!” Now Nott was getting angry, and her voice was clouded with tears and emotion.

“Verdammt! I did not mean it like zat.” His sudden, frustrated outburst shocked both himself and Nott into silence. “I am sorry. But I am not joking around vhen I say you are pretty. I vould even say you are beautiful.” Nott was still looking at Caleb in disbelief and also shock. He knew this was important to get across and it was time to push past his own anxieties and do so.

“Everything about you is very pretty.”

“But you looked away when Caduceus was tending to me. I thought the sight of my body was disgusting to you.” Gods the shakiness in her voice was difficult to hear.

“Can I be honest?”

“Always Caleb.”

“I looked away because – because I vas admiring your body too much. It was inappropriate given vhat has happened to you. I vas horribly selfish and lecherous.” He bowed his head in shame.

“A-admiring?” there was awe in Nott’s voice, and still a hint of suspicion.

“Ja.” This was almost too much honesty for Caleb’s liking but he thought of Caduceus’ words earlier and perhaps he was correct.  _There is nothing to lose_ he told himself.  _Nott deserves to know she is wanted, especially if the worst was to happen._

An image, unbidden and unwelcome, flooded his mind. He was looking down at Nott, laying in the mud and being pelted by the rain. Her expressive face was blank for once, eyes staring unseeingly up at him. Shaking, he reached down to touch her face, coming in contact with freezing cold skin. The rain had made it impossible to distinguish between her blood and the mud it mixed with. They had been too late – Nott was… Dea-

“Caleb?” the worried voice pulled him out from his own mind. Blinking rapidly, Caleb brought himself back into reality.

“I apologise again. It is just – you could have died Nott.” He stopped her from interrupting. “Please let me get this out. You could have died, and if you had – I vould have followed shortly after. Not simply because you are my best friend but because you are everything to me.”

Nott simply stared at him in wonder, so Caleb mustered his courage and continued.

“I stare at you all the time vhen I can. You are mesmerizing to me, more so than any book I could ever read. You mean everything and you are my life Mein Liebling –“Deep _breath_ he reminded himself as he took a moment to compose himself.

“Caleb, I-“

“Du bist die Liebe meines Lebens.” There. It was said and done. Caleb still felt numb with nerves and fear, but it was impossible to take the words back now.

“What does that mean?” Nott finally asked after a long beat of silence.

“It means that you are the love of my life.” He simply translated.

“But, how? I am… this.” Another wave of Nott’s hand accompanied her bewildered expression.

“Did you not hear anything I said? You are my everything, and I think you are beautiful and perfect.”

“And this is not a trick?”

“Nein, I would never do that Maus.” Caleb shook his head vigorously in firm denial, “But I need to know, do you think you can feel the same? I know I am not a good person, but I promise even if you do not vish to be with me I vill never leave you. I vill be here in any vay you vould have me.” His words rang true.

“You are a good person Caleb. You must believe me – if you can tell me I am pretty and not allow me to refute it then I get to call you good without argument.” Nott’s voice took on the stern tone that was common when he belittled himself. “I have loved you deeply for a long time. I was content to keep it from you because I was sure you did not feel the same. Even now, I almost cannot believe what you are saying…” she trailed off, doubt still present when she looked at the wizard.

But Caleb was ecstatic. She returned his feelings – and all he had to do was convince her of his own. “Hold still Schatz.” He was grinning like a fool as he stood up and walked to the door, opening it just a crack.

“Beau! Come here now!” Caleb’s voice rang through to the group that was downstairs.

“I’ve got this.” Beau said, sprinting up to Caleb’s room as quickly as she could. When she pushed through the door she was surprised to see Nott on the bed looking quite calm and Caleb standing with a ridiculous grin on his face. The monk didn’t think she had seen him so happy before.

“Where’s the emergency?” her grumpy voice hid her relief well.

“I need you to do the truth punch on me.” Caleb said excitedly.

“What the fuck?”

“Please, it is vital.” He begged. Sighing in confusion, Beau allowed her hands to glow with energy, and touched Caleb’s face. Seeing both his and Nott’s confused expressions she sighed again, heavier this time.

“Do you really think I need to punch people for it to work? I just like punching idiots.” She grumbled as she crossed her arms. “Now what is this about?” she asked Caleb, who did not bother to answer her.

He went and kneeled back down in front of Nott, taking her hands in his. “Nott, Mein Liebling. I love you, you are my vorld. I think you are beautiful and I am not worthy to be with you, but if you will have me. I am yours.” There was absolute silence in the room. Beau was the one to break it.

“Holy shit. I think I am going to leave you guys to it.” And she backed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“See Schatz? I am not fooling you.”

“I – love you too Caleb. I am sorry for being such a fool.”

“Nein. Apology not needed.”

“Then… If you are telling the truth… Would you perhaps do me a tiny favor?” Nott asked nervously. Caleb’s heart was pounding in his chest – would this be where she rejected him and said it would be easier to be friends? He was honest when he told her he would never leave her but that did not mean it would not hurt.

“Anything.”

“Perhaps you could be my first kiss? Proper I mean. Only if you want to-!” she was cut off by Caleb pressing his lips to hers, quietening her. It was a remarkably gentle and soft kiss, and Nott very much liked it that way. For a moment she panicked and did not know where to put her hands but she settled for placing them around the wizard’s shoulders.

Caleb did not attempt to deepen the kiss, content with how it was. After a bit he pulled away, breathless just from the simple touch. Nott’s face was brightly flushed and she was breathtaking. He told her as much. She did not try to refute him this time. The moment was broken when she yawned widely  _fuck she is adorable_ Caleb momentarily thought before remembering the reason for her exhaustion.

“You should sleep Maus.” He suggested.

“Fine, I will. I don’t get why I am so tired.”

“You are recovering, and it takes a lot of energy to do so.” As Caleb said this, he was pulling the blankets on the bed back and helping her under them.

“Would you lie next to me? I find it easier to sleep with you around.” Nott nervously patted the mattress next to her. The wizard did not answer, instead standing and getting the book he had been reading the previous night and wordlessly getting into bed.

Once situated himself, he lifted his left arm up to allow Nott to curl up against his chest, bringing the arm back down and forming a cage around her. It took mere moments for the small goblin to fall asleep, and Caleb allowed himself the time to truly appreciate this new development. As usual, thoughts of being unworthy crept into his mind but he pushed them away for the moment.  _This is a good thing, I will not ruin it._ He opened the book up, and picked up where he had left off last.


	12. Chapter 12

“Well, shit.” Fjord said, a bemused expression on his face.

“Yeah.” Beau did not have much else to add.

“I did not think they had it in them.” Jester said. The remaining members of the Mighty Nein were gathered around the dining table, food and drinks long forgotten in favour of discussing what Beau had witnessed upstairs. They had ambushed her when she came back down looking shell shocked, concerned that something else had befallen Nott. The truth seemed more surprising at the moment.

“Was Nott alright?” Jester still held guilt over the earlier incident.

“Yeah, she was fine. I think she is well distracted by the new development.” Beau reassured.

“How is this a new development? They certainly felt this way when I met them.” Caduceus asked.

“Well yes, but them moving forward is new.” Fjord tried to explain.

“Are we not always moving forward?”

“In a literal sense yes, but their relationship with each other has  _moved_ to a new status.” Fjord could tell that the Firbolg was still not getting it. “Instead of friends, they have moved on to be… More than friends.” He realised that he actually had no idea how Nott and Caleb were defining their relationship.

“Maybe we should not sit here making assumptions. They are fine now; they can tell us more if they want to.” Beau reasoned, feeling a small amount of guilt for blabbing about it to everyone without thinking if the couple had wanted anything shared. Jester noticed the shift, and gladly changed the subject.

“I almost forgot! I sent a message to Yasha; I should probably speak with her again and see where she is!”

“Yasha is coming?” Fjord asked, interest piqued.

“Yes! I told her that something bad happened and Nott was hurt and which town we were close to. She said that she would come. I should check where she is so that we can meet her and bring her here!” the assembled group agreed and encouraged the Cleric to try to contact Yasha once more.

**_ Yasha. We are in the woods 1 hour north of Lakewood. Please tell me when you will arrive. We will meet you. _ **

**__ **

“Sent!” She chirped happily. Not more than a minute passed and she received a reply.

**_ I am in this pathetic town. I will be an hour. _ **

“Oh.” Jester’s voice audibly deflated. “Yasha is in Lakewood, she will be about an hour.”

“How did she get there so quickly?” Fjord asked.

“That’s not the issue here. If she is there, do you think she knows what happened?” Beau asked.

“I think that she might.” The Tiefling replied, looking worried.

“Is there a problem with that?” Fjord asked. Caduceus was the one who answered.

“I think the implication is that she may destroy the town or the people within if she is angry enough.”

“Then we will have even more troubles on our hands.” Beau nodded.

“I suppose we will just need to wait and see.”

None of the team voiced what they were all thinking – that perhaps the town being destroyed would not be the worst thing in the world. They all hated that forsaken place and would happily see it burned down themselves.

Caleb was just finishing off the book when he heard a soft knock on the door, followed by it creaking open. The familiar blue head of Jester popped into the room.

“Hey Caleb.” Her voice was hushed for Nott’s benefit. “Yasha is here, we need your help getting her in the mansion.” The wizard looked down at Nott before gently shaking her awake.

“Caleb?” the goblin shot up in a panic at being woken.

“I’m sorry Maus. Yasha is here, and I want to let her into the mansion. Vill you be alright if I go and do that?” he caught the panic that crossed Nott’s face before she was able to mask it. Caleb summoned Frumpkin quickly, getting him to jump on the bed and curl up next to her. “Here, he will stay with you. If you need me, all you need to do is say so and I will know.”

Nott took a breath and nodded slowly, still nervous.

“Just sleep Schatz – you are safe here.” He extricated himself from the bed and stood, leaning to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. To his immense surprise, Nott curled up and clutched Frumpkin as one would a stuffed animal.

Smiling softly, Caleb followed Jester out of the room. Once outside his smile faded somewhat, but there was still less tension in his face than usual. Jester decided it was a good look for him.

“So how does it work with inviting people in?” she asked as they walked downstairs.

“Oh Yasha is already allowed in, I can set who I want in the mansion instantly.” Caleb replied. “I still need to stay inside, so as long as you remember where the portal is you can bring her back.

“Then why did you leave Nott?”

“I would like to talk to Yasha, plus I think it is time to visit our prisoners.” Caleb had been mostly successful in hiding the true extent of his anger from Nott so far, but it had been simmering beneath the surface.

“You should not go alone. We all want to be there.” Jester said, and Caleb nodded in agreement. They all had reason to see these men.

Fjord was waiting at the front door for them to arrive. “We ready to go?” he asked as the approached.

“Yep! You and I can go alone; Caleb needs to stay here to keep the mansion in place.” Jester chirped. Fjord nodded and opened the door, waving for Jester to go through first. “Such a gentleman” she giggled as she all but skipped through. Fjord and Caleb shared an amused look before the half-orc followed suit.

Caleb decided to wander and soon found the other two, who had now settled into the sitting room and were silently relaxing. Caleb took a seat as well, settling in.

“You have done an amazing job here Caleb.” Beau complimented. “This is the perfect place for us to recuperate safely.”

“Ja, that was the reasoning.” He nodded, still uncomfortable with the praise.

“My room is fantastic.” Caduceus smiled. Caleb remembered the design – it was basically a garden room. Plants, moss, mushrooms and grass were everywhere. He knew that the Firbolg missed home and had wanted to help.

“I vill need to show you the special greenhouse room vhen there is time.” The wizard said, piquing the Cleric’s interest. “It can grow rare and difficult plants, hopefully the sorts that your Wildmother would approve of.”

Caduceus definitely looked excited now, but was stopped from answering by the sound of the front door opening and closing. The noise echoed throughout the lower floor. Jester and Fjord appeared shortly after, with the familiar and imposing figure of Yasha following close behind.

“Hello.” The Storm Herald smiled softly. Everyone who was gathered began talking over each other to welcome their friend back into the fold. The chatter died down eventually, and Beau was the one to break the silence.

“So do you know what happened?”

“I know very little, only what was told to me by the townsfolk. I am not inclined to trust their word.”

“Basically we saved this town from a spirit that was haunting it, they drugged us and took Nott and tortured her with the intent of eventually killing her.” Beau said.

“From the few conversations I had with the townspeople I can assume that this was racially based?” Yasha questioned. They all nodded.

“The spirit vas actually a goblin that they murdered previously. Drowned in the river.” Caleb said bitterly.

“I should have killed them all.” Yasha closed her eyes and swore.

“We have the men who actually did it. Well, most of them.” Jester said quietly.

“I killed vone.”

 

Yasha tilted her head and considered Caleb’s statement. “What did they do to her?” she asked him in Celestial. The wizard looked her in the eyes as he took a deep breath.

“They shattered both of her shins; she will be unable to walk unaided for at least 5 weeks according to Jester and Caduceus – in spite of healing. They tore out her claws as well, and were in the process of… a more invasive assault when we interrupted.” The others looked on, unable to understand the language that they spoke.

Yasha’s eyes flashed black before she reigned herself in. “Did the one you kill suffer?”

“He did.”

“Good. Perhaps we should see to the others as well.” There was viciousness in her voice, despite the angelic language. Caleb’s answer came in common.

“We will.”


	13. Chapter 13

Caleb led their ragtag group downstairs to the door that led to the mansion’s prison. As soon as he opened the door, the sound of men yelling could be heard.

“I suppose they are awake.” Beau grimly said, pushing to the front to become the leader of the group as they descended further down.

“This goes down a long way.” Jester marveled.

“I wanted them far away from us.” Caleb answered her unspoken question. Once the group reached the final door that led to the jail they unconsciously tensed and let all traces of good humor drain off their faces.

 

“Help! Please help us! Help!” The unimaginative yells from within were distinct now and most of the team rolled their eyes before walking in confidently. The noise quietened as soon as their captors saw it was them who had arrived, and there was a distinct joy in watching fear overtake their features.

“Where is our brother?” The eldest asked, somehow mustering the courage to glare at them all.

“Dead.” Beau answered. His eyes widened and he threw himself against the metal bars of the cell, pushing his face directly against the metal to shout.

“How dare you! How dare you kill him, how dare you lock us up! We have done nothing wrong!” there was true venom in his voice when he yelled at them. The three men all had tears in their eyes at hearing the fate of their brother but none of the Mighty Nein cared.

 

“We know about the other goblin you killed.” Fjord spoke next, keeping his voice in a drawl that was too casual to amtch the intensity of his words. “And obviously what you did to our friend deserves punishment.”

“That creature was a spy! It had come to destroy the village! And your _friend”_ The word was spat out “Deserved everything it got. I think it even liked some of it.” The smirk that accompanied his statement was vile. There was a collective intake of breath, everyone expecting Caleb to kill the man. Caduceus even went to place a calming hand on the wizard’s shoulder, but was waved off.

 

Caleb looked serene, which was more frightening than any anger he could express. Wordlessly he lit his hand with fire and placed it on the bars. The man gave a yell as his face was burnt badly by the red hot metal and fell backwards. The shiny burn on his face had already begun bubbling the skin.

“I need to go.” He quietly spoke in Celestial, getting an understanding nod from Yasha. Without a backwards glance, he turned and walked out of the jail, closing the door behind him.

 

Heading up the stairs, Caleb did not go all of the way. He took a detour down a small hidden corridor which took him into a wide open room filled with random clutter. Knowing he would be unheard by the other party members thanks to the jail’s soundproofing he finally let out a scream and fell to his knees, allowing the flames and fire that burned within him to come to the surface an overtake him.

 

The wizard raged and raged, fire lashing out at the room like unending waves hitting the shore of a beach. The walls did not break, rooms such as this were specially designed to withstand his powers. It was only when he was finished and spent that Caleb realised he had been crying, the tears cooling on his overheated cheeks. Kneeling for a moment longer he took measured breaths until he was back in control. Then he walked upstairs to his room, back to Nott.

 

“I hope you realise how stupid that was.” Caduceus told the men mildly, back in the jail. Fjord snorted derisively.

“They wouldn’t know good sense if it slapped them in the face.” The man with the burnt face glared weakly at them, his two brothers on either side in comfort.

“Want to know why your brother died, and you are all alive?” Beau crouched down so that she was eye level with them. Wide eyed stares were the only reply that she received. “Because he was just watching. He was not doing anything when we interrupted – so he got to die. A terrible death to be sure, but he is spared what we are going to put you through.”

 

The party spared grim looks. Despite what they were planning to do here, none of them felt guilty. Nott’s panicked face and mutilated body flashed in their minds, and it wiped their consciences clean.

“So who bit her?” Jester chirped.

“It was him.” The two brothers pointed at the eldest immediately, hoping to be spared his punishment. For his part, he simply rolled his eyes but did not deny the claims.  
“And her legs?” once again the younger brothers gestured to the eldest.

“What did you two do then?” Yasha asked, curious.

“W-we just held her down.” One admitted sheepishly.

 

“Open the doors.” Yasha commanded, Beau obeying wordlessly. Once the doors were open the barbarian walked into the cell and up to the eldest. Nothing was said as she looked down at him, raised her foot, and brought it back down on his leg. The _snap_ of his leg breaking was covered by the sound of his scream. Not to be left out, Beau followed her inside but chose to focus on one of the other men. She delivered a flurry of blows that felt satisfying but quickly knocked the man out. The only one who remained untouched so far, scurried back so that he was pressed against the far wall.

 

“Please, I am so sorry. Please don’t hurt me.” He begged. Beau slapped him with a glowing hand, sending his head to one side with a crack.

“Are you actually sorry?” She snarled. He clenched his teeth, struggling with himself.

“N-no. it deserved it.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth he closed his eyes, knowing he had signed his own death sentence.

“You should have just stayed quiet.” The monk growled, grabbing his face and smashing his head back against the wall, knocking him out in the process.

 

The two women left the cell with the two unconscious men and one screaming man still inside, shutting the cell door as they did.

“We should keep them alive for now. Perhaps give Nott the option to kill them.” Caduceus muttered. The team nodded in agreement and left, they too not sparing a single glance for the men that were left in the cell.

 


	14. Chapter 14

A few days later the Mighty Nein were gathered around the dining table eating another generous breakfast courtesy of Jester. Although normally by this point the party would be itching to move on to the next adventure, they all felt content to stay in place for a while and allow for Nott to return to fighting strength. It helped that the mansion was massive and well appointed, meaning they had plenty of things to do whilst they rested.

“Are the men still alive?” Nott’s sudden question shocked them all, interrupting the good natured bickering between Beau and Fjord.

“Yes.” Beau answered sheepishly.

“And they are here?” murmured assent followed.

 

“They vill not touch you, I promise Mein Liebling.” Caleb reassured her, rubbing one of her arms.

“I don’t like the idea of them being here.” Nott took a steadying breath, “I want them dead.” There was no pause before Caleb replied.

“Then they shall be dead.” There was a promise in his voice. She was almost distracted by the wave of power that shot through her. Nott knew that she would do anything for Caleb, but this was the first time that it really struck her that he would do anything for _her._

“I want to do it.” She said firmly.

“Of course, when?” Caleb asked.

“Now. Please.” Nott added that on as an attempt at courtesy which was admittedly not her strongest suit.

 

“You sure ‘bout this?” Fjord asked, “I mean, they deserve the killin’ but are you up to it?”

“Fjord might be right you know.” Jester said with concern on her face. The rest of the party looked on with concern and light trepidation about their friend’s physical and emotional state.

“I need to do this sooner rather than later.” The goblin explained. “Knowing they’re alive, it scares me. I don’t like being scared of them.” She admitted looking at the bandages on her hands to avoid the others.

“Vhatever you need.” Caleb glared at the team as if to dare them to challenge Nott further.

“Do what you must. We are here for you.” Caduceus said. Yasha nodded in agreement, but her mismatched eyes were contemplative.

 

There was a tense atmosphere as the food was finished off. “I am ready.” Nott announced once the food had settled in her stomach. Instantly Caleb was up and, taking Nott with him as he stood. Some of the others made to move as well, but he stopped them.

“Ve vill take care of this, it is ok.” And he swept out of the room with her in his arms.

“Fuck I wanted to kill one of them..” Beau pouted after they had gone.

“I know, me too.” Yasha was sympathetic.

 

Meanwhile Caleb was walking downstairs, doing his best to hide his growing trepidation as they approached the jail. This was to help Nott, but he could not help but notice that she was also growing tense in his arms. “Ve do not have to do this Schatz.” He gently reminded her.

“I know I said I needed to kill them, but I do not know if I can.” She admitted. “I want them dead, but my hands… my legs… they are too weak.” To her shame tears began falling from her eyes.

“Hey, shh.” Caleb comforted, carefully sitting on a step and holding Nott in place on his knees. They were almost eye level in this position and he met her watery ones.

 

“Talk to me. Vhy do this now?”

“Because, I had a nightmare last night. I was back out there with them and they were drowning me. I woke and felt like I could not breathe. I thought that knowing they were dead might help.” Caleb sighed.

“Oh Maus. Why did you not vake me?” he had no idea that the nightmare occurred and it made him feel guilty.

“You have lost enough sleep over me.” Nott admitted, “I did not want to cause you to lose more.”

 

Caleb touched their foreheads together, bending down a little to make it possible. After a moment, he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Schatz, next time you have a nightmare I vant to know immediately.” He saw her begin to protest so continued “If I am asleep, vake me. If I am busy interrupt me. I do not care if I am fighting a fire in the library; your comfort is my priority.” Nott giggled at that, and the wizard savoured the beautiful sound. “Promise?” he asked, holding up his pinky reminiscent of Jester. Nott looped her pinky in his.

“Promise.”

 

“Now vhat do you need?” he wanted to know.

“I still want them killed.” She admitted in a small voice, “But perhaps… would you do it?”

“Ja. I can do it. Do you vant to go back with the others while I do?” Caleb questioned. Nott shook her head.

“No, I-I need to see it. I need to see it happen, to know it has happened. I am not making much sense am I?”

“Nein, you make perfect sense. You vant to make sure they are dead, and although you vould know perhaps your brain would not fully understand without seeing it.” Caleb understood, more than he cared to admit.

“Thank you Caleb.” He smiled and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips this time, before standing carefully and restarting the descent.

 

With a resounding bang the door to the jail was kicked open, and the now typical shouting began anew. It seemed the news of their brother’s death had bolstered the human’s fury, and they had stopped caring about consequences. Of course, once they locked eyes on Nott it got worse.

“Come back for more did ya?” The eldest sneered.

“Looks like you made her nice and lame.” One commented. Caleb was struggling to understand how such vile men existed. Nott outwardly remained calm, but he could feel her tremble in his arms. Gently, the wizard placed her down on the ground so that her back was propped against the opposite wall to the cell. Giving her a clear view of the contents.

 

“You her thrall or something?” the question went unanswered, Caleb shrugging out of his coat and rolling his shoulders to loosen up.

“Oi! My brother asked a question.” Still no response was given.

“Have you had a go? Didn’t get that far myself, I am sure she would have been nice and tight on my cock.” There was a gasp from Nott at the words, and Caleb forced himself to breathe deeply and evenly.

 

“Do you mind if this takes time?” he gently asked his companion, getting a jerky nod in response. The wizard wasted no breath on the men, and instead focused on the familiar energy that ran through his body. He knelt on the cold flagstone with his hands on his knees facing the jail cell and its inhabitants. With a flash of his eyes, flames grew in the cell and surrounded the men who were huddled together. He stopped the fire just short of touching their skin and let it burn merrily. Mere centimeters separated them from the flames.

 

“What is this, a scare tactic?” the men were already sweating heavily thanks to the heat. The question prompted a vicious smile from Caleb.

“Nein.” He whispered. Another flash came from his eyes, and the flames swelled with white heat. They moved no closer to the men, but the heat could now be felt where Nott was.

The prisoners started to yell as their skin was burnt from the heat radiating from the fire. Caleb moved backwards so that he was sitting next to Nott, pulling the goblin into his lap.

“Vatch Mein Liebling.” He whispered to her. His breath tickled her ear and for a moment she wondered if she should feel wrong for the shiver of pleasure that went down her spine at the sensation.

“They vill not burn, they vill cook.” The wizard said. There was sharpness in his voice. _He is doing this for me, because of me._ Nott thought in awe. She felt no fear or disgust. She loved Caleb, fire and brimstone and all.

“Your flames are beautiful Caleb.” She whispered. No longer even looking at the inconsequential men who writhed in place, unable to escape the heat. Determined, she turned herself around in his lap until they were facing. She turned her back on the men and their pitiful squirming. He was her sole focus.

“I love you.” She said.

“Mein got, I love you too.” He replied. She was gorgeous bathed in the firelight like this, eyes showing of a palette of oranges and reds.

 

Nott surprised him by lunging into a kiss, more passionate than the soft ones they had shared before. Caleb moaned and put his arms around her body as support, allowing himself to be lost in the kiss. Nott was feeling hot and needy, wanting more but not sure of what “more” even meant. She had not felt like this before, and it certainly was different than the…men. _Maybe Jester was on to something._

 

She was not about to waste time thinking about them now though; Caleb was here with her instead, doing wonderful things with his tongue inside her mouth. Her wizard was so powerful and his strong arms were wrapped around her holding on tight. Nott moved her hands to his head, disappointed when she remembered the bandages were still there and she could not touch him like she wanted. She contented herself with wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life.

 

They were breathing each other’s air, neither willing to part long enough to take proper breaths. Both too caught in each other to care. Caleb was the first to break the desperate kiss.

“Nott.” The sight of him panting through swollen lips almost made the goblin attack them once more but she held back. “Perhaps this is not the place or ze time for this.” He tried to reason, but his head was foggy with lust and love and want. So much want.

 

“Just for a little longer? We can keep our clothes on.” Nott was almost begging. All she wanted was to kiss him again. A pained moan came out of Caleb and he pulled her into another messy kiss, giving in easily. He could not deny her anything least of all something that he also wanted. Then he had another thought which caused him to break the kiss again. Nott whined and tried to pull his head back but the wizard resisted (as hard as it was).

“Vhat about them?” It took Nott a moment to think through her haze and remember the men that shared the room. Their whimpers were still audible behind the crackling of fire. It was certainly a slow death as promised.

“I don’t care. Let them watch.” A hot burst of shame almost took over her body as she spoke. The groan that Caleb released surprised her. “You like that idea?” she asked, uncertain how to feel about it.

“Ja. I am sorry Maus. I like the idea of these disgusting vermin watching and realising vhat they can never have.” Fire burnt in his eyes, Caleb bringing his hand down and boldly touching her chest. “Tell me to stop and I will.” He whispered.

 

Nott shook her head, leaning into the touch. “Don’t stop. Touching or talking.” There would be time to unpack this later.

“Oh Mein Liebling.” He crooned. Neither knew where this burst of confidence had come from for both of them, but damned if they were not going to enjoy it to the fullest. They met in a deep kiss, moaning into each other’s mouths. Caleb sought out Nott’s nipple and pinched lightly over the fabric. Now it was her turn to stop the kiss as she threw her head back with a loud keening sound. It was captivating and went straight to Caleb’s cock causing it to be almost painful in its hardness.

 

Encouraged, he continued to play with the nipple, rolling it between thumb and forefinger and delighting in the mewls coming from his lover. Unable to stop himself, Caleb latched onto her thin neck and sucked lightly. The arms around his neck tightened involuntarily at the sensation and Nott bucked a little in place.

“Caleb! Mmm, ah please!” Nott had no idea what she was asking for. Caleb pulled away from her neck, satisfied at the dark green mark left behind.

“Gods you are perfect. You are _mine_.” The last word was a growl. “Scheiße I love you.”

“Love- love you t-too!” Nott whimpered.

“Sensitive.” He murmured, pleased. There was a whine of protest as he removed his hand, but it did not last for long as he found his final target between her legs.

 

Fire was roaring in Caleb’s ears as he listened to the loud cry of pleasure that Nott let out as he touched her. Even through the fabric of his shirt – _my shirt, mine_ a possessive voice said inside him – he could feel her scorching heat. His cock throbbed at the thought of being buried inside that heat. But that was not what this was for. The wizard felt as if he had run a marathon, panting through an open mouth. He kept his eyes on Nott’s face as he applied more pressure with his fingers and was gratified by her mouth opening in a sharp cry. Unable to resist Caleb found himself kissing her once more. He could feel the bandages on her hands rubbing through his hair over and over in desperation. The way they were arranged, Caleb was holding her entire weight.

 

He let Nott’s body weight settle on his finger more, giving her the pressure in her core whilst he began moving the tips of his fingers in tight circles.

“Ah! Caleb, I – I, fuck!” the stuttered gasps and shrieks from Nott’s mouth were music to his ears.

“They are vatching us Nott.” Who cared if that statement was true, Caleb was not looking away from her for one second. He was going to remember this moment for months as his eyes took in everything they could. The words elicited a shudder which wracked her body. The pleasure was coming to a peak, and gods did Caleb want to take her over.

“They vill die, watching you writhing in pleasure for me. Vatching you cum on my fingers. It vill be the last thing they see, and they will know that they vill never see anything else again. And ve don’t even care about them.” Where this was coming from Caleb could not say, but his blood was pounding and cock throbbing and it just seemed right. Nott too was affected by his words.

 

Nott was only dimly aware of their surroundings as the pleasure Caleb was causing built up quickly. She was going to burst soon and it would be glorious. Caleb was correct. The men were inconsequential – this was about the two of them. Their triumph over the shameful people, and a last act of victory that would be the last thing the men saw. Nott could feel her nipples pebble in pleasure and her stomach tighten. Caleb was so good – she had to do something for him. Using her hands was out of the question, so she was left with her voice.

 

“And I am yours aren’t I?” she gasped out. “They can watch us, but we all know that only you can do this to me. Only you will e-ever be able to – ah!” She cut off with a yelp as Caleb’s hand sped up. His eyes were intense and staring into her own. “Y-yes just like that. Fuck! Only you can make me feel so good, Caleb!”

“Sag meinen Namen.” Caleb accidentally spoke in Zemnian, he was so far gone. “Say my name.” he begged in Common.

“Caleb!” Nott was rewarded with another hand coming around and pinching her nipple once more. “Fuck, fuck, Caleb! I-I think I-“

“Ja, ja do it.” Sweat was pouring down his face and his eyes watered from keeping them open but he refused to look away. Nott’s wetness was seeping through the fabric and he could feel it.

“CALEB!” With one final scream, Nott went into convulsions as she came hard. Caleb kept his eyes open and felt his cock jerk and spurt as he came completely untouched.

 

The pleasure did not seem to end, eventually Caleb came back to his senses and blinked hazily. Nott was trembling on top of him, still held in place by his hands. Caleb spared a glance for the room, and spotted the completely charred remains of the men in the cell.

“I – I must have lost control.” He admitted, a little embarrassed but still exhilarated.

“Mm. I don’t care.” Nott mumbled as her body shook with an aftershock. Realising that his hands were still in their previous positions, Caleb jolted in place causing a loud moan from Nott.

“Scheiße! I am sorry; I did not-“A kiss stopped his apology.

 

“Caleb.” Nott whispered. Once more the wizard found himself caught in her gaze.

“Ja?” he asked breathlessly. She just looked at him for a moment. Gods, but she was amazing. He found himself marveling at her beauty again. Those expressive eyes were glassy and there was a blush of bright pink on her cheeks. _Perhaps… just once more. To make sure I do remember it, I was not completely focused last time._ He thought to himself, moving his fingers a little in place. Another moan and a jolt from Nott worked as encouragement, and the next thing Caleb knew he had worked to a feverish place with his hand while she moaned his name again and again. His cock valiantly stood to attention once more but he ignored it. Caleb needed to see her cum again, and cum she did. This orgasm was even longer than the first, but Nott had clearly devolved past the use of words and simply moaned her way through it.

 

“Mph-!” With a trembling sigh, Nott was still against his chest. After a moment she still did not move and Caleb looked down. It seemed she had passed out. A small smile of triumph grew on his face and he slowly stood up, careful not to jostle the figure in his arms. Not a moment’s thought was given to the burnt remains in the room as Caleb exited. He could not stop the grimace that arose when he started on the stairs and felt the cum in his pants. Then he looked back down at Nott. _Worth it._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew my face is burning! I have no idea where this came from but... I hope you don't find it too weird guys!


	15. Chapter 15

“Maybe that was not a good idea.” Caduceus murmured. Everyone looked uneasily at each other and then to the doorway down to the prison area. It had been some time and still Caleb and Nott had not resurfaced.

“Caleb will take care of her.” Jester stated with confidence, leaning into Fjord for some support. She was still concerned for her friends after all.

“That is not what concerns me.” The Firbolg admitted.

“What then?” Fjord asked.

“Caleb might lose control.”

“He could have lost control many times but he has never hurt Nott, either on purpose or accidentally.” Beau stated.

“But things have changed with them. Caleb covets things that he values or sees as his own. I just worry that perhaps his eagerness paired with Nott’s inexperience would be detrimental.”

“And who’s to say Nott is inexperienced? Just because she is a goblin –“Beau started furiously, but Caduceus raised a hand.

“It is not that. She is uncomfortable with her body, and before this incident I would doubt that she would have felt secure enough to share it with anyone.” Seeing the frowns on his friends’ faces, he continued. “I simply think that Caleb might not be aware of this inexperience, and in his fervor to prove her value to him he may go further than she wants. Nott would never refuse Caleb anything.”

“If you are speaking of sex, I don’t know if either of them would refuse the other.” Yasha said thoughtfully. “But the question is do we have the right to step in if something does happen?”

“It would not be on purpose, if it did.” Caduceus said.

“When Nott panicked, it was because she was asking how sex worked. I tried to explain to her that what the men did wasn’t sex but she didn’t understand.” Jester worried her bottom lip. “I should have explained better, she does not understand that her consent matters.” Fjord rubbed her back soothingly.

“It’s alright; you did the best you could.”

Further discussion was interrupted by the door opening with a bang. A red faced Caleb walked through, carrying Nott bridal style. The goblin was unconscious. Beau made a choking sound, and before anyone could say anything or ask what was wrong she had darted forward. There was a short choked off gasp from Caleb and he slumped motionless to the ground, the monk now carrying Nott. It had all happened too fast to really track and they looked on bewildered at the scene.

“Her neck.” Beau said shortly. It did not take long to see what she was referring to, and there was a collective tensing of the party once they all noticed the clear bruise blossoming on their friend’s green skin.

“He wouldn’t.” Jester held her hand over her mouth, voice wavering with emotion. Caduceus moved towards Nott instead of answering, running an assessing eye over her body as he did. He placed his hand over her face and closed his eyes. A cool blue glow was emitted, and looked like it soaked into the goblin’s skin.

With a soft breath Nott woke up, blinking slowly.

“Where is Caleb?” of course that would be the first thing she asked.

“Nott… what happened?” Yasha asked intently.

“We killed them.” Nott blushed fiercely. The team looked on fiercely, certain that something else had happened.

“You can be honest, what did Caleb do?” Beau asked, letting her ability infuse Nott as she did. This was important, and she knew that her friend would protect Caleb from anything even to her own detriment. Thankfully, Nott was unable to see the telltale glowing of her hands from her position.

“We just did some stuff.” Nott’s eyes were darting around in panic now. “Where is he?” Her wide yellow eyes locked onto his form on the ground and she started squirming.

“What happened? Who did this?” she was frantic in her worry, and the party clerics were both concerned she would re-injure herself.

“Calm down.” Caduceus commanded, casting calm emotions on Nott. Her movements slowed but she was clearly still stressed.

“Please just answer the question, did Caleb do anything you did not want?” Beau asked steadily.

“Like what?” Confusion was clear on Nott’s face.

“That mark on your neck Nott. Did you want him to do that?” There was no point being anything but blunt.

“I did. I know it’s wrong, but I did!” Her cheeks were aflame at the admission.

“She is telling the truth.” Beau shrugged, relieved.

“We are very sorry Nott. We assumed the worst, and worried Caleb had hurt you.” Caduceus explained.

“He would never do that!”

“We know. We are very sorry.” Jester truly sounded apologetic. “I will wake Caleb up.” Similar to how Nott had been woken just before, the Tiefling leant over the Wizard and muttered a spell to awaken him.

“Mein Gott.” Caleb groaned as he woke, clambering to his feet.

“Caleb!” Nott called, holding her arms out to him. Beau transferred her into his arms and stood back awkwardly.

“Uh, sorry about that Caleb.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

“Vhat happened?” the poor wizard looked so bemused.

“We assumed the worst, but t is a story for another time friend.” Caduceus soothed. “I think the both of you need a well deserved rest. We will take care of the mess downstairs.” There were nods of agreement all around. Caleb opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but Nott took his attention.

“Take me to bed please?” As always he could not refuse her. He also knew that she needed a rest after the earlier excitement and that overrode his curiousity. With a sharp nod at the others, he walked the familiar path to his room. The two were settled into his bed in record time, Caleb ready with a book by his side to read once Nott dozed off.

“They thought you hurt me.” Nott said quietly. “I told them you would never! I did! They were worried at first though, I think Beau knocked you out.” She expected Caleb to be shocked and outraged, and was surprised by the chuckle he let out.

“You are not mad?” she asked incredulously.

“No I am not my dear Nott. In fact, I am relieved.” Now Nott was completely lost, and it showed in her face. He enjoyed her confusion for a moment and then elaborated, “It is a relief that our friends vould protect you, even from me.”

“But you would never do that, I can’t believe they thought you would!”

“I am flattered by your outrage Maus, but it did look bad. I am glad they acted as they did, it is comforting.” Seeing that she was going to argue more, Caleb pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “It is ok, I am not mad and you don’t need to be either. Sleep now, ve can talk vith our friends later.” Nott was about to say something else, but thought better of it. She was feeling extraordinarily tired after all, and it was easy to be lulled back to sleep. Being in Caleb’s arms made such things much easier.


	16. Chapter 16

“Sorry for making you guys do this.” Nott mumbled, raising her arms above her head slowly to allow Yasha to pull Caleb’s shirt off.

“Don’t be silly Nott.” Jester dismissed with a wave of her hand, already completely nude herself “We wanted to take advantage of the bath as well.” Really it was more of a pool than a bath, and the three of them did not take up much space within it. It was deep as well, the water likely to cover Caduceus’ shoulders sitting.

Caleb had thought of everything, as this was a communal bath he had designed it to allow everyone to bathe comfortably no matter their size. There were rock ledges of different heights around the walls of the bath and one side was shallower than the other to maximise comfort all around. Steam rose from the water and as Jester slid in she did not hold back the groan of satisfaction caused by the welcome warmth of the water. There was definitely something magical afoot. Yasha was already in the water and did not seem to mind the temperature but the Tiefling knew it took some heat to register as warm for her own body. There was a moment of appreciation for the eucalyptus smell that infused the air around them – a result of a concoction their Firbolg Cleric had suggested be poured into the bath to assist with healing.

She waded over to the edge that Nott was perched on, Yasha already taking aside the shirt and placing it carefully on a dry patch of ground. Even without the article of clothing dwarfing her small frame, Nott was mostly covered by bandages. Caduceus and Jester had both agreed that the water would not hurt the healing process and would perhaps encourage movement back into the stiff muscles that Nott suffered from still. The now medicated water would not hurt either.

“I know the bandages need to come off.” Nott sighed, pre-empting Jester’s statement. “Could you please start with my hands?” She waved them in front of her body.

Jester nodded and gently began unwrapping the goblin’s hands. The bandages had become dirty already so a fresh set was needed. Carelessly throwing them aside when done, she moved on to her friend’s legs. They required more care as they would undoubtedly still be sore for Nott. Despite Jester’s best efforts little gasps and whimpers escaped from her friend as she worked.

“Sorry Nott.”

“Don’t be.” Was breathed out in relief once the legs were done. “Now for the fun part. Try not to lose your lunch.” Yasha frowned at the self-deprecation.

“Please.” Jester simply rolled her eyes and completely disregarded the statement. Soon the chest bandages joined the others on the ground and Nott was bare once more. The goblin had to close her eyes and remind herself that these were her friends. They had seen each other naked before, and this was no different.  _But it is different._

“Are you comfortable getting in the bath now?” Jester asked gently. She wordlessly nodded in reply, a short jerk of the head that betrayed her nerves.

Yasha was the one to come forward and pluck Nott up and into the water, ensuring that she was properly seated on one of the benches. She and Jester sat down also, and the friends were soon all at the same height in the water.

“Why do you say such things?” Yasha broke the silence. The question was gentle but direct, and her face was intent as she looked at Nott. The goblin looked down, cheeks aflame.

“I am not much to look at on the best of days, and now with the bite. I just feel wrong.” She paused, “even more wrong than I did before.”

“I have never understood that. Why you are so hard on yourself for how you look.” The barbarian stated.

“It has always been just the way it is for me.” Nott shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “I was always told that I was not pretty or beautiful, even when I was young. It must be true if so many people said it.”

“People are silly Nott. Looking different from others does not automatically mean that you are unattractive. There is nothing wrong with you. You are sopretty.” Jester smiled.

“I am green though.” Nott said, as if that explained everything. Perhaps to her it did.

“And Jester is blue. Fjord is also green, and I do not think you consider him ugly.” Yasha’s words brought pause to Nott.

“Caleb definitely thinks you are pretty.” Jester teased, hoping to bring some light to their conversation.

“Somehow he does.” Nott blushed and looked down.

“We are sorry about overreacting yesterday. We were simply worried, and did not mean to scare you.” Yasha said regretfully.

“I know. I was mad at first, that you would think Caleb was capable of hurting me but he explained it. I get it. But, I also really wanted it as much as he did; you have nothing to worry about there.” The green flush came up once more. Jester had to stop herself from cooing, it honestly seemed so adorable.

“Soo… Did you…” The Tiefling wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“No! We didn’t.” A nod from Yasha and Jester got Nott to continue, “Go  _that_ far.”

“What did you do then?”

All the questions were embarrassing Nott, but it was also kind of nice to talk about this with friends. She trusted Jester and Yasha, and talking about lighthearted and pleasurable topics was  _fun_.

“He just touched me.”  _Best not to mention the talking we did._ Nott’s blush refused to die down now.

“Did you like it?” Jester asked cheekily. Nott was nodding her head vigorously before she realised it.

“Of course I did, Caleb was touching me. It was so different to those  _men_.” The word was spat out of her mouth venomously.

“Do you want to do more with Caleb?” Jester asked curiously.

“Yes. He makes me want to be pretty.” She admitted sheepishly.

“You know, sometimes when I feel down about my looks, I where my prettiest jewelry and it makes me feel heaps better!” Jester said brightly. Yasha caught on.

“Is there anything that makes you feel nice when you where it?”

“The clothes you see me in are the ones I own.” Nott said.

“Surely you have worn other clothes in your lifetime!” The Tiefling giggled.

“Well I suppose I have.” The goblin thought hard for a moment.  _When did I enjoy wearing clothes? What was I wearing?_ Eventually she recalled a distant memory.

“Once, I stole a dress from a Halfling woman. The thread was so shiny I just had to have it, and then I got curious and put it on. The skirt was very big and very flowy and it felt nice to wear. I felt nice in it.” She could not help but smile at the memory.

Yasha and Jester looked at each other in triumph, it might be a small moment but it felt like a true breakthrough for their friend. “I am sure you looked beautiful Nott.” Jester said softly.

“You don’t need to be pretty just for Caleb either; it is okay to be pretty for yourself.” Yasha reminded her.

“I suppose.” A halfhearted shrug was given. “He makes me feel pretty though, and I like that. I want to surprise him and return the favour. He made me feel so good; I want to do the same. I am nervous to initiate anything more.”

“Why are you nervous?” The barbarian asked.

“What if he says no?” Nott’s voice was small.

“He would never say no.” Yasha was sure of that fact. “He might want to wait until you are fully healed though to actually go all the way, out of courtesy.” She added on, knowing that was a definite possibility.

“But what else can we do if we can’t do  _it_?” Nott asked.

“Oh Nott.” Jester sighed sadly, “There is so much more that you can do beside penis in vagina sex.” Nott choked at her choice of words while Yasha nodded approvingly.

“How do I know what he wants to do though?” Nott was getting past her embarrassment now, and was eager for some advice.

“I think we can work that out between us.” Yasha said. “You said he touched you, yes? Did he let you touch him?” Nott shook her head in the negative.

“Did he… finish?” Jester asked delicately.

“Y-yes. He said that watching me was enough.”

“Clearly that is something he likes then. Bringing you pleasure.”

“That hardly seems fair.” Nott was confused now.

“Knowing Caleb, it does not surprise me that he would enjoy that. He wants to take care of you in all ways, including sexually. What did you enjoy about the experience?” Yasha asked.

“I suppose… seeing Caleb lose control.” Nott processed what they were saying;  _I suppose it does make sense._ She was distracted by the absolutely filthy grin on Jester’s face.

“I have a plan, Nott.”

_ This might have been a mistake _ .


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you so much for all of your feedback!

“Are you certain of this, Nott?” Caleb asked for the fourteenth time in as many minutes (or so it felt).

“I am Caleb.” The small goblin replied from her sitting position on their shared bed. The wizard was kneeling on the floor, finishing rewrapping her bandages with incredible care and focus. He had watched both Jester and Caduceus do so and mimicked their techniques. “You cannot keep me inside forever.” Nott’s voice was soft, without a trace of anger or judgement.

 

“I am not trying to keep you prisoner, please know that.” Caleb said desperately.

“I know you are not.”

“I just – I can keep you safe inside this place. I cannot say the same out there.” His face was furrowed with concern. “I keep thinking of how I nearly lost you and I cannot bear it. I vas powerless to stop you being taken and I do not want that to happen again.”

“Caleb,” Nott reached a hand out to put on the wizard’s face, making him look at her directly. “I have the same fears. The thought of even seeing a human man terrifies me. Right now though, we need distance more than anything. Even though we are safe in the mansion, I still feel unsafe being so close to that damn town.”

 

Caleb took her bandaged hand gently between his own and placed a kiss on where her knuckles would likely be. “I am sorry Maus, I should have thought of that. I hope you will not mind staying close to me though, at least for now.”

“Are you kidding? I was prepared to beg you not to leave my side.”

“That is one thing we are in agreement on my love. I vill be vith you the entire time.” The soft look Caleb was giving her warmed Nott’s heart, and she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before she could talk herself out of it. Both had been wary of too much physical affection after their last dalliance and the ensuing reaction from their friends but that was not for lack of want.

 

The smile Caleb sent her after the kiss made her stomach flutter pleasantly and Nott had to return it with a shy one of her own. The wizard leant in for another kiss, and this one lingered. He was content to move at whatever pace made Nott comfortable so did not push to deepen it until she did. Their mouths were moving together with a slow and sensual passion that made Nott lightheaded. To her disappointment, Caleb was the first to pull away.

“We should not get carried away Schatz, our friends are waiting.”

“Of course.” Nott nodded, blushing brightly as Caleb hefted her into his arms with ease. Inside she was groaning in frustration.

 

 

After some hesitation at the front door, Caleb finally exited the mansion with Nott in his arms. Everyone else was already gathered on the cart, with Beau and Caduceus in the driver seat. Caleb placed Nott on one of the bench seats before turning around and pulling out his spell book. A few muttered words and a glow of his eyes later, the house shimmered out of existence as if it were only a mirage in a desert.  He stuffed the book back in his coat with a nod and pulled himself into the cart, sitting next to Nott.

 

The goblin was putting on a brave face but her wide yellow eyes were darting to and fro, taking in their surroundings with suspicion, as if expecting someone to leap out of the clearing.

“We are here Nott, you are safe.” Jester reassured the skittish girl.

“I know. I will feel better when we are far away from here though.” Nott admitted. “What is the plan? Where are we going?”

“I thought it might be a good time to cash in on the goodwill Caleb earnt with the Bright Queen, and head to Rosohna.” Fjord explained.

“Will they be alright with…” Nott trailed off, gesturing to her face.

“They will be.” Fjord’s tone invited no argument. Nott would pay to see him use that voice on the Bright Queen.

 

“Everything will be okay Liebe.” Caleb pulled Nott into his side.

“And here I thought I had to reassure you.” She joked fondly. A loud yawn escaped her as she leant into his embrace.

“You are still tired.” Caleb stated with a frown. “You should sleep.”

“I sleep all the time though.” Nott complained.

“Ve are not doing anything else, sleep now and vhen you vake up ve vill be far away.” Nott did not have much fight in her, and put her weight on the wizard’s shoulder before closing her eyes.

 

The inhabitants of the cart stayed silent until her breathing evened out. Jester placed a hand over the goblin’s forehead – it glowed faintly before dissipating.

“I just allowed her to have a deep, dreamless sleep.” The cleric explained in response to Caleb’s questioning look.

“She is still so tired a lot of the time, is it normal?” There was a sort of weary panic in his tone.

“It is. Caduceus and I agree that with the physical strain she has gone through as well as the added mental strain, it is completely normal for her to be so tired. That is another reason why changing location will be good for her; it will assist in the mental healing process.”

 

“And you are certain that ve vill be safe in Rosohna?” Caleb had not wanted to worry Nott further by asking before, but he had to be sure.

“We will. Jesse made sure.”

“I sent a message to Essek; he said that we will find sanctuary there.” Jester eagerly said. “I did not want to tell Nott because I do not want her to worry, but I mentioned that something happened – very briefly! – and said that we need a safe place.”

“And he said… Yes?” Caleb did not want to sound disbelieving but given recent events he was not quite ready to lean on the kindness of strangers so readily.

“He said that ‘the Bright Queen will offer safe harbour’.” Jester tried to mimic Essek’s voice, getting a chuckle from them all.

 

“You are not the only one who wants to keep Nott safe, Caleb. We will all protect her.” Beau spoke up from the front.

“And each other.” Caduceus added on.

“I am sorry I was not here to help.” Yasha said softly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Yasha.” Jester reassured her with a soft pat on the arm.

“We all feel like we failed Nott in some way.” Fjord sighed heavily. “We have things to do, but I for one cannot even consider doing that until Nott is confident and comfortable again.”

“That could take time.” Caleb warned.

“Then time it will take. We have all suffered wounds from this, Nott’s are simply the most visible to us now. All of us need time to heal, and we need each other’s support.” Caduceus said sagely.

 

 _We are truly in this together._ Looking down at Nott by his side, Caleb thought that perhaps he did not mind that idea.

 


End file.
